The US space agency and a team of scientists, including Stephen Hawking, is developing a nano-starship made from a single silicon chip that can travel one-fifth the speed of light.
In theory the miniature spacecraft could arrive at Earth’s closest star system, Alpha Centauri, in 20 years – 100-times faster than a conventional spacecraft can achieve.
Hawking announced the ground-breaking project back in April which aims to slash interstellar space exploration times by using lasers to propel a nano-spacecraft the size of a postage stamp, called StarChip. – READ MORE