Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Light-powered propulsion expands space exploration possibilities

Reaching the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, would take hundreds of thousands of years using current rocket propulsion technology. Researchers in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University have demonstrated a new approach to light-driven motion, showing that lasers can be used to lift and steer objects in multiple directions without physical contact. This breakthrough may one day enable travel to Alpha Centauri within roughly 20 years.

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So the light is bounced off a surface? Solar sail or some other kind of surface?

This was the idea proposed before wasn’t it
Solar sail with a coke can sized probe.