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Last week, the LightSail 2 officially established its first contact with Earth. The solar-powered spacecraft will sail around Earth's orbit for next year, as part of a mission to prove that solar navigation is a viable mode of space exploration.
If successful, the hope is that solar navigation can be used in other spaceships, which could allow us to explore further in space at a lower cost than currently possible.
It's a good idea that could impact how we explore space in the future. And you can follow it in real time from your computer at any time.
Now that the LightSail 2 is communicating with Earth, Planetary Society members who have placed the ship in space publish some of its statistics on a free online dashboard.
With it, you can see things like how long the LightSail 2 has been on its mission, whether its sail is row or not, and what is the internal temperature of the spacecraft right now. You can also see where the ship is and what path it is supposed to take, in case you want to try to hit you as it passes over your head.
If you're a fan of space, it's a good thing to check, especially for the overflight potential once the sail is deployed. And if that's not enough, you can also follow the progress of LightSail 2 in narrative form on The Planetary Society's blog.
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