The founders of Starcloud, a company developing orbital data centres, have announced a new high-risk space project: a mission to send a probe to Alpha Centauri. The non-profit behind the mission, dubbed Fermi Explorer, emerged today to seek partners, donations, and advice.
The plan involves launching a tiny spacecraft on an 80,000-year journey to Alpha Centauri. If successful, it would be the first human-built object specifically aimed at another star, and the sixth to leave our solar system.
The initial team, comprising Starcloud founders Philip Johnston, Adi Oltean, and Ezra Feilden, along with program manager Garret Jameson, intends to use proven space technologies. The mission aims to launch in 2029 and is estimated to cost around $15 million.
The spacecraft will carry a 10 cm square payload, weighing 1 kilogram, into interstellar space. The mission's goal is to explore human exploration, achieve a historical first, and test the limits of the Fermi paradox.