Inside humanity's first trip to another star - and it's sooner than you'd think
The Fermi Explorer Mission plans to launch a probe in 2029 to begin a multi-generational journey to the Alpha Centauri star system. This non-profit initiative aims to be the first human-made object to reach another star system, 4.37 light-years away.
Why it matters
This mission represents a significant milestone in human space exploration and deep-space technology development.
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In 2000, S Club 7 asked the world to reach for the stars – and this non-profit wants humanity to finally do just that.
Alpha Centauri is our rather cool-sounding cosmic neighbour, a three-star system 4.37 light-years away.
If that sounds small, it’s not. Alpha Centauri is 25 trillion miles from Earth, so if you tried to travel there by car, it would take you roughly 45,000,000 years.
It would also take 80,000 years by spacecraft, an interstellar trip which the Fermi Explorer Mission will begin in 2029, the non-profit tells Metro.
Philip Johnston, the CEO of Starcloud – a deep-tech company that wants AI data centres in space – helped co-found the mission in stealth last year.
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