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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.
A light sail, which uses the momentum of sunlight to travel through space and could one day propel small spacecraft through interstellar realms, is headed to the International Space Station for testing on behalf of Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio.
Leading the project is Verena Padres ’26, a mechanical and aerospace engineering student who said the Cornell team is working with its partners to have the experiment ready for launch by 2025. Students from the Space Systems Design Studio are also finding mentorship from Silicon Valley engineers Andrew Filo and Alex Burke, who have been meeting with the team weekly. As part of the education and outreach goals of the project, the Space Systems Design Studio is planning educational workshops and other events with its partners, which include Cornell Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM, Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Skyline Celestial, Modulated Retroreflective Technologies Corp., Creativity Inc., Avery Dennison, Rhodium Scientific, the Intrepid Museum and the Hiller Aviation Museum.
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