Cornell deploys two lightsail experiments from the ISS

Engineers at Cornell University's Space System Design Studio successfully deployed two lightsail experiments, Alpha CubeSat and Sailing to the Stars, from the International Space Station. The craft, using origami-style sails and ChipSats, became the first of their size to transmit complete data packets from orbit to ground.

• Alpha CubeSat and Sailing to the Stars launched to the ISS in late 2025 under NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative
• Sailing to the Stars deployed from the ISS on December 2, 2025 alongside five other lightsails (NRCSD-29)
• First-ever flight of a RockBLOCK Iridium modem and first holographic message plaques sent to space
• Communications ran through the open-source TinyGS network; the chassis was fully 3D-printed