AI plots 80,000-year journey to Alpha Centauri
fermi explorer mission uses ai-discovered trajectory to plan $15m spacecraft launch by 2029. it affects space exploration funding and technology.
the fermi explorer mission announced plans to launch a spacecraft to alpha centauri by 2029 using a novel trajectory discovered by an ai system developed by physical superintelligence. the $15m mission is funded by individual private donors and will carry a 1kg cargo of artistic and scientific payloads. the ai system, called get physics done, used anthropic's claude or openai's gpt models to find a trajectory that combines well-known orbital maneuvers in a new way. this approach allows the spacecraft to slow down and fire its engine near the sun to gain energy. the mission affects space exploration funding and technology.