Yesterday, at a press conference, the Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner officially announced the Starshot project that aims to build interstellar probes. The idea is to create tiny probes with a sail driven by a laser operated from Earth so they can reach 20% of the speed of light to reach the Alpha Centauri system in just over two decades. The physicist Stephen Hawking and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg support the project.

Born on November 11, 1961, Yuri Milner became rich thanks to a series of activities especially in the computer sector. At university he studied physics and his interest in what’s out there in the cosmos can be seen in the “Breakthrough Initiatives”, the multifaceted program he founded for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Within this program he developed the Starshot project.

The idea of sending to other stars very small space probes with sails pushed by lasers isn’t new but so far they were used mainly in science fiction stories. Now Yuri Milner intends to turn it into reality. Even a very small probe requires a really powerful laser to reach 20% of the speed of light and the whole project requires considerable efforts with a cost that is estimated at between $5 and $10 billion.

Yuri Milner is very serious in his intent and announced an initial investment of $100 million for its development. On his own he won’t be able to cover all the expenses and hopes to find partners, including NASA and ESA. NASA is developing its own solar sail project and could help at least with its know-how.

Other recent advances such as in miniaturization of electronic components and in the laser field were the factors that convinced Yuri Milner that the Starshot project can become a reality. There are still many problems to solve, first of all to have lasers that are powerful enough and perfectly aimed toward the probes even at enormous distances.

In the projects, a laser system will also be used to send data from the probes because they will be equipped with a camera and some other miniaturized instruments to collect various data. Of course, from the Alpha Centauri system it would take a little more than 4.3 years for those data to be received but seeing the stars – because it’s a three-stars system – and their possible planets up close would be a historic event.

The project is also supported by the physicist Stephen Hawking and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The goal is very ambitious and it’s no coincidence that Yuri Milner  announced it in the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the first human space flight by Yuri Gagarin. Right now it’s really hard to tell if it will become reality but reliable people are participating under the leadership of Pete Worden, former director of NASA’s Ames Research Center (ARC) so it’s a serious project.