Science guy Bill Nye was on hand for SpaceX's rocket launch; here's why

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Bill Nye, host of Netflix's "Bill Nye Saves the World," was at the Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday to watch SpaceX launch its Falcon Heavy rocket in person.

The rocket, which blasted off at 2:30 a.m., deployed two dozen spacecraft, marking the first time SpaceX has released satellites and other experiments into three separate orbits.

Among the experiments aboard the rocket was the LightSail 2, a solar sail project funded by The Planetary Society. Nye is the nonprofit's CEO.

The solar sail is designed to travel through space propelled by sunlight, a concept that dates back centuries, CNN reported.

CNN said LightSail 2 will deploy razor-thin sheets of polyester to form a 32-square-meter sail, which is about the size of a boxing ring.

Photons from the sun should push the solar sail into space without thrusters or heavy fuels, CNN reported.

Nye told Channel 9 reporter Ken Tyndall that the $7 million project was paid for by donors and a crowdfunding campaign.

"This is your spacecraft," Nye said in a tweet.

Click here to watch Tyndall's report, and click here to read more about the project.

Cox Media Group