New video shows how tiny spacecraft will 'swarm' Proxima Centauri

Swarming Proxima Centauri concept was recently selected for Phase I development as part of this year 's NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts ( NIAC ) program.

Concept involves accelerating tiny spacecraft with a laser array to up to 20% the speed of light.

This past week , Marshall Eubanks and his colleagues presented an animation illustrating what this mission will look like.

The video and presentation provide tantalizing clues as to what scientists expect to find.

And that's enough to get good data and really understand the system." While the Swarming Proxima Centauri concept did not receive Phase II or III funding from the NIAC this year , it remains a project worthy of study and further development. Like Breakthrough Starshot and other lightsail proposals, it showcases what interstellar missions will look like in the coming decades . In that respect, ideas like this also indicate that we are at a point in our history where exploring the nearest star systems is no longer considered a far-off idea that requires serious technological innovations to happen first . Provided by Universe Today .