NanoSail-D

NanoSail-D was a NASA mission to deploy a 10 m2 solar sail from a CubeSat. The mission ended on August 2nd, 2008, when the Falcon 1 rocket carrying it failed to reach orbit. NanoSail-D2 is the backup to spacecraft that was launched on November 19, 2010, as a payload of the FASTSAT. NanoSail-D2 successfully ejected from FASTSAT and deployed the sail on January 20th, 2010, at 10:00pm EST. NanoSail-D2 will remain visible in orbit until it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, estimated at 2-4 months from deployment. NASA and Spaceweather.com are holding a photo contest while NanoSail-D2 remains in orbit.

Links

 * NanoSail-D Mission Page
 * NanoSail-D photo contest
 * NanoSail-D2 Mission Dashboard
 * NanoSail-D Mission Overview
 * Help track NanoSail-D