The creators of Starcloud, a startup aiming to deploy a fleet of GPUs in orbit, have introduced an ambitious project to potential investors: a mission to send a minuscule spacecraft on an 80,000-year expedition to Alpha Centauri.
If successful, this will mark the first human-made device specifically targeting another star and the sixth vessel to exit our solar system.
Named the Fermi Explorer, the non-profit organization launched today is seeking partners, funding, and insights. The initial team consists of Starcloud founders Philip Johnston, Adi Oltean, and Ezra Feilden, alongside program manager Garret Jameson. They have formulated a strategy to utilize existing space technologies to deploy a spacecraft with a payload measuring 10 cm square and weighing approximately 1 kilogram into interstellar space.
The founders emphasize that this mission is rooted in the ethos of human exploration, aiming to achieve a landmark feat while investigating the Fermi paradox, which explores the absence of detected intelligent life in the universe and inspired the mission’s name.
Expected to cost around $15 million, the mission is scheduled for launch in 2029. The non-profit is inviting vendors to construct the vehicle, seek funding for this purpose, and create both scientific and artistic payloads for inclusion, similar to the sensors and Golden Record aboard NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, the inaugural human probe to exit our solar system.
Many previous interstellar exploration initiatives falter due to the immense distances involved and the relatively slow travel methods at our disposal. For context, Voyager, launched in 1977, has now surpassed 26 billion kilometers from Earth, while Alpha Centauri, our nearest stellar neighbor, is approximately 41 trillion kilometers away.
A prior effort from Silicon Valley, Breakthrough Starshot, which emerged in 2016 and was backed by notable figures such as Mark Zuckerberg, proposed a multi-billion dollar project to employ a novel laser propulsion technique to reach Alpha Centauri within two to three decades. However, this initiative fell apart in 2025, yet the dream of interstellar travel appears to persist.
Unlike previous ventures, Fermi Explorer aims to utilize existing technology rather than pushing technological boundaries to accomplish its goals.
“I experienced excitement that turned into disappointment with Starshot,” Johnston remarked. “That’s why we are embarking on this mission. We are determined to launch something in three years. … The major distinction of the Fermi Explorer is that our timeline stretches to 80,000 years, unlike other missions that aim to complete their goals within a human lifespan, requiring extensive and costly propulsion research and development.”
The spacecraft is set to be launched on a rocket rideshare and will employ energy-efficient albeit low-power electric propulsion to navigate through various orbits, ultimately positioning it toward Alpha Centauri. The spacecraft is projected to be operational for roughly 12 years before entering a final coast phase toward the distant solar system.
“If a dinosaur bone can endure 200 million years, then a metal box should easily withstand the expected radiation for 50,000 years,” Johnston stated. “We do not intend to power up the spacecraft after 80,000 years. Our hope is that a future civilization will eventually intercept it.”
