Ramjets propel spacecraft by compressing hydrogen gas collected from the interstellar medium, with energy supplied by a laser beam transmitted from a distant source. In contrast, laser sails use ...

"Chemical rockets that we use today, even with the extra speed boost from flying by planets, or from swinging by the sun for a boost, just don't have the ability to scale to useful interstellar speeds ...

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

He pointed out that the attainment of relativistic velocities by a rocket-propelled vehicle is hampered ... by the pressure exerted on it by a light beam transmitted from the Earth, then, because ...

Researchers have proposed a new propulsion method that could make covering the vast distances required for interstellar missions feasible within a human lifetime. The fundamental challenge in ...

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

The idea of traveling through interstellar space using spacecraft propelled by ultrathin sails ... and ride stably along the axis of a laser beam," Atwater says. "But before we can begin building ...

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

A European and Japanese spacecraft has captured some of the clearest images yet of Mercury’s north pole, including its permanently shadowed craters and vast volcanic plains. The BepiColombo spacecraft ...

A spacecraft has beamed back some of the best close-up photos ever of Mercury’s north pole. The European Space Agency released the snapshots Thursday, revealing the permanently shadowed craters ...

These types of reflective sails use the pressure from lasers or starlight to propel spacecraft. These ultrathin sails could achieve speeds never ... This involves measuring the incredibly subtle ...