Tiny spaceships could be accelerated by lasers so that they reach the nearest star in 20 years. That's the theory. Now it's ...

"The lightsail will travel faster than any previous spacecraft, with potential to eventually open interstellar distances to ...

Caltech scientists are developing laser-driven lightsails that could push spacecraft beyond our solar system. Their research ...

Sailing has been a mainstay of human history for millennia, so it's no surprise that scientists would apply it to traveling ...

Scientists are developing miniature lightsails that could travel at unprecedented speeds, potentially enabling interstellar ...

Unlike in earlier series entries, where futuristic goals like reaching Alpha Centauri or establishing the first colonies in ...

The idea of traveling through interstellar space using spacecraft propelled by ultrathin sails may sound like the stuff of sci-fi novels. But in fact, a program started in 2016 by Stephen Hawking and ...

This wide-field view of the sky around the bright star system Alpha Centauri was created from photographic images forming ...

An open letter to any friendly aliens who are considering making first contact with Earth soon: If I've learned anything from ...

The idea of a lightsail comes from the fact that radiation pressure represents a mechanical pressure acting on a surface due ...

Powered by laser light, this tiny sail lays the groundwork for future advances in lightsail technology and the potential for ...