Laser-Powered Metajets Hint at 20-Year Alpha Centauri Trip

Texas A&M researchers report a lab demonstration of micron-scale metajets with metasurfaces that can be steered in three dimensions by laser light; they say the concept could be scaled to propel larger spacecraft, potentially enabling a 20-year journey to Alpha Centauri, though real-world feasibility and space testing remain to be proven.