Will We Reach Alpha Centauri in Our Lifetimes?

(via PBS Space Time) Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Starshot is an interstellar travel expedition unlike any other before it. It’s many years in the making and is contingent on a series of incredible advancements in nanotechnology, materials science and laser power. Despite these hurdles, the project has been backed by some of the greatest minds in science today, including Stephen Hawking, legendary engineer Freeman Dyson, UK Astronomer Royal Martin Rees and dark energy Nobel Laureate Saul Perlmutter. Just how likely is it that Starshot’s journey to Alpha Centauri will succeed?