Japan have geared up to send their first working solar sail into deep space within a couple of months. A Society called The Planetary Society is moving farther with its own solar-sail project.

The executive director of The Planetary Society has told that, it will be ready by the end of 2010 but probably the launch vehicle will not be available until the first part of 2011.

LightSail-1 (image which is at right side) consists of 3 cubesats at the center of 4 lightweight triangular sails. The total weight will be less than 5 kilograms i.e, 11 pounds.

Now they have been looking for the right rocket because LightSail-1 has to be deployed at a height of atleast 800 kms i.e, 500 miles into the orbit else any propulsive effect from the sunlight would make it fail due to atmospheric drag.