LightSail 2 took this picture of itself, with Earth in the background, while deploying its sail on July 23. (Credit: The Planetary Society)

The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization focused on space exploration, has successfully transferred their LightSail 2 spacecraft from one orbit to another using only the power of sunlight, a first. The recent success not only proves the effectiveness of solar sailing technology, but also opens up a new, more cost-effective way to propel small sp