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 ...

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 ...

Can lightsails be the future of deep space exploration? This is what a recent study published in Nature Photonics hopes to address as a team of researchers | Space ...

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

The concept is to use lasers to propel miniature space probes attached to "lightsails" to reach ultrafast speeds and eventually our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. Caltech is leading the ...