After the month has passed, the craft will spend another year gradually deorbiting.

It’s a rare achievement in spaceflight, and notable when LightSail relied partly on crowdfunding to make their project a reality. What’s important, though, is what comes next. The Scoiety intends to share data with others so they can implement or refine plans for solar sailing in their own vehicles, such as NASA’s asteroid-bound NEA Scout cubesat. You could see a wave of mini satellites that only need solar nudges to adjust their positions, and possibly larger spacecraft beyond that.

One slight hiccup — the spacecraft did not rise far above the horizon, which scientists theorize is due to its orientation during the pass and the presence of the sail. The 32-square meter sail is roughly the size of a boxing ring. After the sail deployed on July 23rd, telemetry indicated that the spacecraft’s small motor was rotating correctly, extending four, four-meter booms from their central spindle. The booms — made of cobalt-alloy — are attached to four triangular sections that make up the sail itself.

“Yesterday, we successfully set sail on beams of sunlight,” said Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society in a statement. “Thanks to our team and our tens of thousands of supporters around the world, the dream started by The Planetary Society’s founders more than 4 decades ago has taken flight.”

The images captured by LightSail 2’s two wide-angle cameras gave scientists evidence that the sail had deployed correctly. Each 185-degree fisheye camera lens is wide enough to capture more than half of the sail. The Planetary Society released raw images captured by the spacecraft, which include jaw-dropping shots of the Earth and its own sail.

Four weeks ago, LightSail 2 first launched into space from the Kennedy Space Center while aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Unlike traditional spacecraft which are powered by rocket engines, solar sails are propelled by photons from the sun. At present, the Sun is giving the space craft a gentle push that is no heavier than the weight of a paper clip. Over time, this push will raise LightSail 2’s orbit. The spacecraft will spend the next month raising its orbit in this fashion, and is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in roughly a year.

“We’re all very happy — after years of preparation, we are flying an operational spacecraft!” Bruce Betts, said LightSail program manager and Planetary Society chief scientist in a statement. The spacecraft sent its first signal back to Earth yesterday as it flew over mission control in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Mission ground stations at Georgia Tech and Purdue University have also received signals from LightSail 2.

So what’s next for the mission? The spacecraft’s cameras and momentum wheel will be tested to ensure that they’re working properly. This is expected to take roughly a week. After the tests, the mission team will deploy LightSail 2’s 32-square meter solar sail. For a highlight reel of the spacecraft’s mission by the Planetary Society, check out this video.