Jun 9
The Breakthrough Starshot project proposed a wild way to reach another star. Instead of sending a huge spaceship, it would send tiny gram-sized robotic probes attached to thin light sails. A massive laser array on Earth would push those sails so fast that they could reach about 20% of the speed of light. In theory, the probes could fly past Alpha Centauri in just over 20 years after launch. It is basically “tiny spaceship, giant laser, nearest star system,” but scientists still have big engineering problems to solve.
