"In the past 4 days, the spacecraft has raised its orbital high point, or apogee, by about 2 kilometers. The perigee, or low point of its orbit, has dropped by a similar amount, which is consistent with pre-flight expectations for the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft."
They also say this on the mission page:
"LightSail 2's attitude control system does not have the precision to maintain a circular orbit and continuously fly the spacecraft higher. Therefore, as one side of LightSail 2’s orbit rises, the other side will dip lower, until atmospheric drag overcomes the forces of solar sailing, ending the primary mission. The spacecraft will remain in orbit roughly a year before entering the atmosphere and burning up."
Based on my previous reading, I was under the impression that the atmosphere would be negligible until the perigee dipped much lower than the initial orbit. (Obviously, if you keep lowering the perigee then eventually it becomes important.) That's consistent with your second quote, but your first quote suggests I was wrong and the atmospheric effects are detectable even now. Thanks for the correction.
"In the past 4 days, the spacecraft has raised its orbital high point, or apogee, by about 2 kilometers. The perigee, or low point of its orbit, has dropped by a similar amount, which is consistent with pre-flight expectations for the effects of atmospheric drag on the spacecraft."
They also say this on the mission page:
"LightSail 2's attitude control system does not have the precision to maintain a circular orbit and continuously fly the spacecraft higher. Therefore, as one side of LightSail 2’s orbit rises, the other side will dip lower, until atmospheric drag overcomes the forces of solar sailing, ending the primary mission. The spacecraft will remain in orbit roughly a year before entering the atmosphere and burning up."