Technology harnessing the power of light could be the key to cutting down travel times to Mars from years to just a matter of days.

A group of physicists in California is working on probe that could lead to technology to get to Mars at much faster speeds than is currently possible.

The answer to doing this could lie in what's known as photonic propulsion, a technique that uses light from lasers to produce thrust to drive spacecraft.

While the technology the team is creating will be targeted at extremely small probes, someday it could inspire the creation of larger spacecraft that travel rapidly to Mars.

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