Project Starshot

Project Starshot is an ambitious initiative aiming to send tiny, laser-powered spacecraft to nearby stars, like Alpha Centauri, within a few decades. It involves using powerful ground-based lasers to accelerate small, lightweight probes attached to lightsails to a significant fraction of the speed of light. Once propelled, these probes could reach their distant targets in about 20 years, enabling high-resolution images and scientific data. The project seeks to open a new era of interstellar exploration by overcoming current propulsion limits, though it faces significant technological and engineering challenges to achieve this vision.