Interstellar travel

Light sails may open a path to the stars – but LHS 1140b is still hundreds of years away

Light sails may open a path to the stars – but LHS 1140b is still hundreds of years away

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The discovery of an atmosphere around the rocky planet LHS 1140b has brought the possibility of sending tiny spacecraft to other solar systems back into the headlines. Miniaturized electronics, light sails, and powerful laser arrays are making the idea a research topic
Conceptual illustration of a diffractive solar sail.

Hidden physics complicates the dream of launching sailing spacecraft to other stars

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A new theoretical study points to another problem with interstellar light sails: As they approach relativistic speeds, the Doppler effect and the deflection of light reduce the efficiency of the thrust. In one of the weakest contributions of light, even
Chrysalis could house several generations of humans by the time it reaches Alpha Centauri, where it could land passengers on the surface of the planet Proxima Centauri b. (Credit: Giacomo Infelise, Veronica Magli, Guido Sbrogio', Nevenka Martinello, and Federica Chiara Serpe)

Chrysalis: The spaceship that will carry 2,400 passengers on a one-way, 400-year journey to Alpha Centauri

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A revolutionary design by young engineers proposes a giant ship 58 kilometers long, which will accommodate generations of colonists on their way to an Earth-like planet in the Alpha Centauri system.
Scientists are researching a laser-powered nanospacecraft that could reach a black hole within decades. Credit: Al-Hadayan website via DALEE

A paperclip-sized probe could probe a black hole's event horizon

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A research program proposes launching a nanospacecraft with a light sail, propelled by a laser beam at up to about a third of the speed of light, to reach a nearby black hole within decades and test the theory of relativity under extreme conditions—if one is found.
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