Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have taken a major step toward developing lightsails that could one day carry tiny spacecraft to distant star systems. The new findings detail ...

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 ...

This once science-fiction concept is now becoming a reality thanks to groundbreaking research on laser-powered lightsails. Scientists at Caltech are working on ultrathin, laser-driven membranes ...

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 ...

A new paper looks at the pros and cons of lightsails, figures out the best setup to carry a small payload to another star while humans are still alive to see it, and checks out what materials might ...