The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri
Abstract
This paper discusses the physics, engineering and mission architecture relating to a gram-sized interstellar probe propelled by a laser beam. The objectives are to design a fly-by mission to Alpha Centauri with a total mission duration of 50 years travelling at a cruise speed of 0.1c. Furthermore, optical data from the target star system is to be obtained and sent back to the Solar system. The main challenges of such a mission are presented and possible solutions proposed. The results show that by extrapolating from currently existing technology, such a mission would be feasible. The total mass of the proposed spacecraft is 23g and the space-based laser infrastructure has a beam power output of 15GW. Rurther exploration of the laser - spacecraft tradespace and associated technologies are necessary.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1708.03556,
title = {The Andromeda Study: A Femto-Spacecraft Mission to Alpha Centauri},
author = {Andreas M. Hein and Kelvin F. Long and Dan Fries and Nikolaos Perakis and Angelo Genovese and Stefan Zeidler and Martin Langer and Richard Osborne and Rob Swinney and John Davies and Bill Cress and Marc Casson and Adrian Mann and Rachel Armstrong},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1708.03556},
year = {2017}
}