Destination: Proxima Centauri

The year is 2125. Centauri Dream, an antimatter-propelled interstellar vessel, travels with a cryogenized crew to Proxima Centauri to spread human consciousness across the universe. The Centauri Dream, a massive interstellar vessel, kicks off the first journey to an exoplanet by a humancrewed spaceship.

The destination is Proxima b, an Earth-like exoplanet that orbits our closest star, Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4.22 light years. An amazing one-hundred-year journey begins, in which the crew will be cryogenized to avoid ageing. Currently this belongs to the realm of science-fiction, but institutions and scientists from all over the world are working on the technology for a humancrewed interstellar journey. There are many challenges to overcome.

The vast interstellar distances will require a huge amount of energy. We explore how NASA’s Glenn Research Centre, as well as the private Breakthrough Starshot intiative supported by Steven Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg, are working on a spaceship able to travel to Alpha Centauri. Controversial survival techniques will be required to keep the crew alive, from cyrogenics to cloning.

Finally, how will the Centauri Dream spaceship, with its one thousand cryogenised passengers, cope with the hazards of interstellar space – from abrasive stardust and asteroids, to cosmic radiation? We predict what will happen when the Centauri dream finally arrives at its destination, Proxima b. And when we arrive, will it be similar to Earth?