Scientists have created a new light-powered engine that can accelerate almost to the speed of light (2 photos)
A new discovery will make it possible to reach the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, in less than 20 years. It seems our understanding of the Universe will soon change. And all thanks to researchers from Texas A&M University, who have proposed...
...a system based on metajets—microscopic devices with special surfaces that convert light into motion, even without physical contact. They allow not only to push an object forward, but also to control its motion in three dimensions. Currently, the metajets created are thinner than a human hair. But scientists assure that the technology is scalable. If powerful light sources are found, such a system could work on larger devices.
For comparison, modern rockets would take hundreds of thousands of years to reach Alpha Centauri, which is very long and impossible. One of the most promising ideas is a light engine. In 2016, an attempt was made to implement this in the Breakthrough Starshot project: a miniature probe with a lightsail would be accelerated by powerful lasers. Theoretically, it could reach a nearby star in 20 years. But this version was very expensive and difficult to scale, unlike the new one. 
