Student engineers at Cornell University have released results from two light-sail experiments flown in low Earth orbit. The missions, developed by the campus Space Systems Design Studio, deployed free-flying sails that use the gentle push of photons to accelerate. Each sail is described as slightly larger than a pizza box, a compact design intended to test propulsion without conventional fuel.
Riding aboard the sails were ChipSats—spacecraft weighing only a few grams—showing how tiny payloads could be carried by photon-driven craft. The student-led effort marks a hands-on step toward practical solar sailing, though the source does not specify top speeds or mission duration.
Because only a single source was provided, there are no conflicting reports to compare. The results stand as a demonstration of student-built hardware pushing the boundaries of lightweight space propulsion.