Light Sails Could Reach 48-Light-Year Exoplanet Within Decades as Probes Target 10%-20% Light Speed
Updated
Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 13
Light Sails Could Reach 48-Light-Year Exoplanet Within Decades as Probes Target 10%-20% Light Speed
3 articles · Updated · SciTechDaily · Aug 13
Summary
LHS 1140b — a rocky world 48 light-years away with a confirmed atmosphere — has sharpened interest in whether nearby exoplanets could be studied up close rather than only by telescope.
10%-20% of light speed is the target range researchers say tiny probes would need to reach another star system within a human lifetime, using miniaturized sensors and flyby observations that transmit data slowly back to Earth.
Tens of gigawatts of laser power could drive meter-scale reflective light sails to cruising speed within minutes, an approach explored by Breakthrough Starshot because the propulsion system stays behind instead of traveling with fuel.
Beam-powered probes still face a major limit: they cannot easily stop, so any interstellar mission would likely race through its target system in only a few days.
Solar sails already tested in Earth orbit offer a nearer-term bridge, potentially enabling propellant-free deep-space missions in the solar system while light-sail technology matures for interstellar use.