This is a solar sail. Like wind in a sail boat, they are pushed by photons emitted by the sun. The force of one photon is tiny, but many many photons pushing this thin sail over time accumulates incredible speed.
Our mission starts by slingshotting around the sun (in a gravity assist!) to propel a series of these sails on a 35 year journey further than Voyager to 550 AU.
550 AU and onwards, a camera looking back at the sun sees something astonishing! The Sun acts as a giant lens, and we see a smudged halo known as an Einstein ring.
Image you are looking directly at a projector. Although you no longer see the screen, all the data of the projection is contained in that circle of blinding light you just need to collect it. Likewise, SGLT will be able to move around this magic focal zone, gathering data bit by bit.
We then use advanced computing to "deconvolute" this smudged ring of light, creating the world's first 1000 by 1000 pixel image of an exoplanet!
The implications of an image as crisp as we have of Earth are staggering. We can see signs of civilization in large structures from orbit, or use spectroscopy to confirm livable conditions.
Is there anyone out there?
We finally get to find out.
