"Miniature Spacecraft Aims for Interstellar Journey to Nearest Star"
NASA is funding a project by Space Initiatives Inc to send a swarm of tiny, laser-propelled spacecraft to Proxima B, a planet in the nearest star system to Earth. The project, inspired by an idea from the late Professor Stephen Hawking, aims to cut the journey time to about 20 years using a powerful laser to accelerate the nano-craft. If successful, this could be the first technology to reach another star within this century, with the potential to search for extraterrestrial life. The project is part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which has previously led to significant developments like the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars.