Founders of the startup Starcloud have introduced Fermi Explorer, a non-profit mission aiming to send a small spacecraft to Alpha Centauri over an 80,000-year journey.
Key facts
- •The Fermi Explorer mission is estimated to cost $15 million and is scheduled for a 2029 launch.
- •The spacecraft will weigh 1 kilogram and carry a 10-centimeter square payload.
- •The mission is designed for an 80,000-year journey to reach Alpha Centauri, which is 41 trillion kilometers from our solar system.
- •The non-profit is led by Philip Johnston, Adi Oltean, Ezra Feilden, and Garret Jameson.
- •The project aims to use existing, proven space technologies rather than developing new propulsion systems.
The team behind the orbital GPU startup Starcloud has announced a new non-profit initiative called Fermi Explorer. The project aims to launch a 1-kilogram spacecraft toward Alpha Centauri by 2029. If successful, the mission would mark the first human-built object explicitly designed for another star system and the sixth to exit our solar system.
By the numbers
Mission Goals and Design
The Fermi Explorer team, which includes Philip Johnston, Adi Oltean, Ezra Feilden, and Garret Jameson, plans to use existing space technologies rather than developing new propulsion systems. The spacecraft will carry a 10-centimeter square payload and is intended to launch via a rocket rideshare. Following launch, it will utilize electric propulsion to achieve the necessary trajectory for interstellar travel. The mission is projected to cost approximately $15 million. The spacecraft is designed to remain active for about 12 years before entering a final coast phase. The founders intend for the craft to be intercepted by a future human civilization, noting that the 80,000-year timeline is a deliberate choice to avoid the high costs associated with rapid interstellar travel.
Context and Comparison
The project contrasts with previous efforts like Breakthrough Starshot, a non-profit founded in 2016 that aimed to reach Alpha Centauri in 20 to 30 years using laser-based propulsion. That initiative, which was backed by Mark Zuckerberg and Yuri Milner, collapsed in 2025. In contrast, Fermi Explorer seeks to utilize current capabilities to achieve a historical first, testing the limits of the Fermi paradox. While Voyager 1, the first human spacecraft to leave the solar system, is currently 26 billion kilometers from Earth, Alpha Centauri sits 41 trillion kilometers away. Fermi Explorer is currently seeking partners, donations, and scientific or artistic payloads to include on the mission.
Timeline
- 1977NASA launched the Voyager space probe, the first human spacecraft to leave our solar system.
- 2016Breakthrough Starshot was founded to pursue interstellar travel using laser-based propulsion.
- 2025The Breakthrough Starshot initiative collapsed.
- 2029The Fermi Explorer team plans to launch their spacecraft.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by TechCrunch.
