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Imagine traveling to another star in just 4 days instead of thousands of years. Sailing to the Stars, under Cornell Space Systems Design Studio and Alpha Cubesat is making this dream closer to reality by deploying the first-ever free-flying, retroreflective light sail powered by tiny ChipSat computers—the smallest light sail ever built.
Light sails are an innovative technology designed with the intention of making space travel significantly faster. They are small reflective sails, powered by ChipSats and propelled by high-power lasers. They require no fuel, and travel faster than any spacecraft flown to date, with the potential to escape our solar system in just 4 days!
Think of a sailboat pushed by wind, but instead of air molecules, light sails are propelled by particles of light called photons. When powerful lasers shine on these ultra-thin, reflective sails, the photons bounce off and push the spacecraft forward. Since light never runs out, these sails can accelerate continuously without carrying heavy fuel tanks or engines—making them perfect for long journeys between stars.
Cornell's light-sail design does not require the intricate deployment sequences seen in traditional solar sails, meaning they can be deployed instantaneously. If we can find the most effective method of deploying these sails, space exploration could become much more accessible, cheaper, and efficient. We aim to test 2 different lightsail deployer designs aboard the ISS, where we can get both IMU data and video footage of the deployments to help understand them better.
A light sail that could one day propel small spacecraft through interstellar realms is headed to the International Space Station and will be tested by astronauts on behalf of Cornell's Space Systems Design Studio...
Read more →Space yachts racing through Earth's orbit powered solely by sunlight still exist only in science fiction. But a spacecraft of similar inspiration, called a light sail, is gaining speed...
Read more →A light sail developed by Cornell's Space Systems Design Studio (SSDS) could one day propel small spacecraft through interstellar realms.
Read more →Cornell MAE highlights the inspiring story of our team members pursuing space exploration.
Read more →The twins' approach is now in use in multiple aerospace projects at Cornell and beyond: Verena is leading a team in Cornell's Space Systems Design Studio to send a light sail deployer laden with sensors for testing on the International Space Station...
Read more →"We're trying to use light to propel things. We're using like autonomous aircraft to search for people. These things haven't been done before, but that doesn't stop us. That just empowers us to be the ones to find that new change..."
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