Breakthrough Starshot
Lasers Could Send Missions to Mars in Only 45 Days
New research from McGill University shows that a powerful laser array could propel a fusion-engine spacecraft to Mars in a…
If Launched by 2028, a Spacecraft Could Catch up With Oumuamua in 26 Years
A new study by the Institute of Interstellar Studies (i4is) shows that with the right maneuver, a spacecraft could catch…
New Calculations Show That an Interstellar Bussard Ramjet Drive Would Need a Magnetic Field Stretching 150 Million Kilometres
A new analysis of the fabled Bussard Ramjet shows that the spacecraft would need an impossibly big magnetic field to…
A Space Telescope With one job: Find Habitable Planets at Alpha Centauri
Breakthrough Initiatives just announced a collaborative effort to launch a space telescope that will search for habitable planets around Alpha…
LightSail 2 Has Now Been in Space for 2 Years, and Should Last Even Longer Before Re-Entering the Atmosphere
The Planetary Society's crowdfunded solar-sailing CubeSat, LightSail 2, launched on June 25th 2019, and two years later the mission is…
Sending a Spacecraft to Another Star Will Require a Million Lasers Working Together
New research from the Australia National University shows that millions of lasers are the way to propel Breakthrough Starshot on…
There Should be About 7 Interstellar Objects Passing Through the Inner Solar System Every Year
A new study led by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) has found that interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua visit our…
A Review of “Extraterrestrial” by Prof. Avi Loeb
Professor Avi Loeb's new book, Extraterrestrial, tells the tale of how he 'Oumuamua may be humanity's first interstellar messenger.
Want the Fastest Solar Sail? Drop it Into the Sun First
A new study from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy shows how a "Sun Diver," a light sail that dives…
What’s the Best Way to Communicate With an Interstellar Probe When it’s Light-Years Away From Earth?
A new study by an international team of scientists addressed a major challenge with interstellar missions: how to send and…