​Solar sails must be designed is such a way to maximize the area that the sails can interact with the photons while minimizing the amount of mass the entire craft. There has been quite a few variations to how the sails will operate and deploy once in space, we can delve deeper into the most current solar sail that will be used during the year 2019 and LightSail 2.
               The LightSail 2 developed by the Planetary Society is a square sail that is housed in a storage configuration about the size of a bread box. Once in the appropriate environment the storage will open up its four hinged solar arrays and unfold its cobalt steel tape-like booms where it will unfurl four triangular sails that are used to reflect the sunlight. Each sail is 4.5 microns thick and made Mylar, a reflective polyester film. The total area of the sails is 32 square meters and the total weight is 5 kilograms.

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