Space exploration is a field of science that still eludes humanity even after creating the technology that could reach the moon. One of the biggest challenges that impede complete interstellar travel has been the matter of actually creating a spacecraft that could survive the harshness of space with passengers onboard. Thanks to a new self-healing technology, scientists are on the way to creating spaceships that could reach other solar systems in 20 years.

According to reports coming in, NASA is currently working with the Korean Institute of Science and Technology in order to create a self-healing silicon chip that can repair itself after sustaining radiation damage, TechXplore reports. Such an achievement would have a huge impact on interstellar travel since radiation damage is one of the biggest hazards that astronauts would have to contend with when traveling in outer space.

The existence of the collaboration and the technology was announced in San Francisco recently, at the International Electron Devices Meeting. However, it should be noted that the applications for the technology currently only applies to the creation of a miniature spaceship, which wouldn’t be able to take on any passengers.

According to IEEE Spectrum, however, the small size of the craft would make it ideal for speedy space flight. Based on calculations, the spacecraft would be able to reach speeds 1/5 of the speed of light. This would then enable it to reach the star nearest to earth in just 20 years at the time of launch.

On that note, there are still some significant obstacles that scientists are facing when it comes to actually trekking among the stars. However, the silicon chip paves the way for the creation of bigger spacecraft that will be able to withstand the fierce radiation energy blasts commonly occurring in space.