That was just four months after Hawking and Milner announced Breakthrough Starshot, a $100-million US initiative that aims to send thousands of tiny light-propelled spacecraft to Alpha Centauri. He said scientists had expected to find exoplanets orbiting the stars of Alpha Centauri, but not this soon. Other Canadians who have been following the development of space travel technology say the challenges for Breakthrough Starshot remain quite daunting. While Breakthrough Starshot is unlikely to yield results for the next decade or more, he added, "It's certainly worth throwing some money at to explore the technology." "Given the discovery of the nearest exoplanet like Earth, it is very important for Earth to move our project, Starshot, ahead."

Source: CBC News August 30, 2016 20:48 UTC