directed energy

A Novel Propulsion System Would Hurl Hypervelocity Pellets at a Spacecraft to Speed it up

A new proposal for a pellet-beam spacecraft could enable interstellar missions and a Solar Gravitational Lens in a matter of…

2 months ago

Laser-Powered Sails Would be Great for Exploring the Solar System too

A new study from UCLA shows how laser-driven light sails could be a cost-effective method for exploring the Solar System…

1 year ago

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…

1 year ago

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…

3 years ago

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

3 years ago

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…

4 years ago

What is the Death Ray?

First proposed in the early 20th century, and a staple of science fiction for over a century, the concept of…

6 years ago

What’s the Most Stable Shape for an Interstellar Lightsail?

A recent study by an international team of scientists looked at Project Starshot and assessed the likelihood of its success,…

6 years ago

Shields Up, Mr. Sulu! Cruising At 20% Speed Of Light Has Some Inherent Risks

A recent study by funded by Starshot attempts to address one of the biggest challenges in interstellar travel - the…

7 years ago

Prof. Lubin Wants to Send Our Digital Selves to the Stars

Prof. Lupin of UCSB recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to create "Voices of Humanity", a project aimed at equipping all…

7 years ago