A spacecraft targeted for launch in 2028 could embark on an estimated 80,000-year journey to Proxima Centauri, the nearest star beyond the Solar System, in what its organisers describe as humanity's first step towards interstellar travel.
The Fermi Explorer mission will carry scientific instruments to study conditions along the route to the star, which is located 4.4 light-years, or approximately 25.8 trillion miles, from Earth.
The journey will take tens of thousands of years, meaning none of the scientists involved will live to see its completion, reports AOL.
The mission was outlined by Kam Ghaffarian at the Starmus Festival in Tenerife. A founder of Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines, companies that work with Nasa on equipment for Artemis missions, he said the project aims to inspire future generations to explore beyond the Solar System.
"I believe humanity's destination is to become interstellar. Our idea is, in 2028 we're going to launch the first satellite ever from Earth to Proxima Centauri. It's going to take many thousands of years but the idea is to inspire the next generation," he said.
Ghaffarian believes the Moon will serve as a stepping stone towards Mars and eventually other star systems. He predicted that by 2050, humanity could establish a space city beyond Earth, complete with artificial gravity, regular launches and facilities for developing microgravity technologies.
The spacecraft will carry a copy of the Golden Record sent aboard Nasa's Voyager missions. The record contains images of Earth, greetings in 55 languages, music, natural sounds and a message from former US President Jimmy Carter. The spacecraft will also carry new messages from children around the world.
A mission for future generations
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the only human-made spacecraft to have entered interstellar space. The Fermi Explorer would be the first spacecraft launched specifically towards another star system.
Philip Johnston, co-founder and president of the mission, said, "We hope to be both the first to leave and the last to arrive at Alpha Centauri. None of us will be here when this journey ends, and that is the point.
"It's about taking the first achievable step and inspiring future generations to keep pushing beyond the limits we inherited."
The spacecraft is expected to leave the Solar System around 2043. As the Alpha Centauri system moves across the sky, the mission will target the location where it is expected to be in approximately 79,500 years.
Named after physicist Enrico Fermi, the project is seeking $15 million to fund development. Proposed experiments include aerogel tiles to capture interstellar dust and a radioisotope clock to help future discoverers determine when the spacecraft was launched.
However, the team has warned that most instruments are unlikely to return data for around 80,000 years. The spacecraft will also carry a small antenna and will no longer be contactable after leaving the Solar System.
Garrett Jameson, a former US Air Force officer leading the mission's day-to-day execution, said, "The most inspiring part of this mission is that people do not have to wait for permission or perfect conditions.
"We can embrace the constraints, build what is possible now, and give the next generation something meaningful to build upon."
If successful, the team hopes to launch another spacecraft towards the Andromeda galaxy, a journey estimated to take one billion years.
No mission to another star has been launched before, although physicist Stephen Hawking supported the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, which aims to propel tiny spacecraft towards Alpha Centauri using powerful beams of light.