Breakthrough Starshot
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…
We Have the Technology to Retrieve a Sample From an Interstellar Object Like Oumuamua
A white paper submitted to the 2023 - 2032 Decadal Survey recommends we create spacecraft that could rendezvous and take…
How Will we Receive Signals From Interstellar Probes, Like Starshot?
A new study takes a look at the challenges of sending and receiving data over interstellar distances using tight-beam lasers
Riding the Wave of a Supernova to Go Interstellar
A new paper by two Harvard professors explores the idea of using supernova as a means of high-speed interstellar travel…
Of the Two Stars in Alpha Centauri, One is Probably More Habitable than the Other
A new study has shown that the Alpha Centauri is not likely to support life and that one of its…
What’s the Best Way to Sail From World to World? Electric Sails or Solar Sails?
A new study compares two potential means of interstellar exploration, which could have implications for both space exploration and the…
Prototype of a Future Interstellar Probe was Just Tested on a Balloon
Researchers with the UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group recently conducted a successful stratospheric test of their wafercraft, which could be traveling…
What Would be the Benefits of an Interstellar Probe?
A new study from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies outlines the benefits and requirements of sending a probe on an…
Exactly How We Would Send our First Laser-Powered Probe to Alpha Centauri
In a recent study, an international team of scientists present their concept for a lightsail and spacecraft that could make…