Bill Nye – Spaceflight Now

June 1, 2026

Breaking News

[ May 30, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 50th Starlink mission of 2026 Falcon 9
[ May 29, 2026 ] ULA launches 29 Amazon Leo satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Atlas 5
[ May 29, 2026 ] Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes during prelaunch testing at Cape Canaveral Mission Reports
[ May 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
[ May 27, 2026 ] FAA requires SpaceX-led mishap investigation before resumption of Starship launches Mission Reports

LightSail hailed as precursor for low-cost planetary missions

June 10, 2015 Stephen Clark

Managers in charge of the privately-funded LightSail solar sail in Earth orbit said Wednesday the success of the experiment is a step toward opening up the solar system to scores of modest science probes that could explore space at a fraction of the cost of traditional government-backed missions.

Citizen-funded CubeSat ready to go solar sailing

May 19, 2015 Stephen Clark

A shoebox-sized satellite conceived and funded by members of the Planetary Society, an advocacy organization co-founded by Carl Sagan, is fastened to an Atlas 5 rocket for launch Wednesday to test one of the late celebrity-astronomer’s futuristic concepts for exploring the cosmos.