Humans could reach another planet within a generation — Here’s how
AI-powered probes will achieve an interstellar breakthrough (Photo: Pexels)
Just 48 light-years from Earth, a rocky planet with an atmosphere potentially suitable for life exists. Scientists are now questioning whether humanity might one day actually reach such worlds, rather than merely observe them through telescopes, according to Gizmodo.
Key to interstellar travel
Scientists explain that sending large spacecraft to other star systems would require enormous resources and time. The concept of microprobes, however, offers a realistic scenario for reaching a destination within a single human lifetime.
Thanks to advances in microelectronics and the concept of "smart dust," millimeter-scale sensors are capable of measuring temperature, light, and the chemical composition of celestial bodies, while consuming virtually no energy and adding negligible mass.
Laser and solar sails: how they work
The main problem with conventional rockets is the need to carry heavy fuel. Sail systems eliminate this drawback.
Laser light sails: for interstellar missions, scientists propose using ultra-thin reflective membranes that would be accelerated by a powerful array of lasers (with a combined power of tens of gigawatts). The pressure of photons could accelerate such a probe to 10–20% of the speed of light in just a few minutes.
Solar sails use the pressure of ordinary sunlight. They have already been successfully tested in Earth orbit and are suitable for complex maneuvers within the Solar System — for example, delivering samples from comets or maintaining a prolonged hover over Earth's poles.
Key challenges and the role of AI
Despite high speeds, the laser accelerator remains near Earth, meaning the probe cannot brake upon arrival at its destination. The probe will pass through the target system in just a few days, collecting data on the fly and gradually transmitting it back home.
During the decades-long voyage, researchers note, the craft will remain in sleep mode under the control of an artificial intelligence. The AI will only wake up during the flyby of the exoplanet, to carry out a series of measurements and capture the first close-up images of alien worlds.
