How can as many probes as possible be sent to nearby stars?

In the near future, say about 50 years, the most powerful governments are starting to compete for control of interstellar resources. The first step is to send a probe or probes to a neighbouring star system to do reconnaissance on the exoplanets there, to see what potentially exploitable resources are there and if the exoplanet can sustain human life.

I only want to use technology that could feasibly exist in the near future, based on our current understanding of science. No FTL. These governments are working to long term plans and understand that each probe will take many years to arrive, if at all.

I imagine that sending many smaller probes will have a higher success rate than fewer but larger probes. These probes can be launched en masse with a few sent together to the same star system for redundancy, since some will be lost or become non-functioning before they arrive. I'm not sure about the fuel requirements for the delta-v to achieve orbit.

What's the cheapest/most efficient way of getting the highest number of functioning probes into eventual orbit around as many different, potentially life-supporting exoplanets as possible, as quickly as possible?

posted over 6 years ago

CJ Dennis‭

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