Project Blue has its eye on Alpha Centauri. It will use a telescope to hunt for Earth-like planets and alien life in the star system. Project Blue is led by Mission Centaur, a project focused on finding Exoplanets in Alpha Centauri. The NGO is working with BoldlyGo, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell in this project.
Project Blue's partner at UMass Lowell is Supriya Chakrabarti, Ph.D., who has led a research group since 2012 that develops instrumentation for direct imaging of exoplanets, among others. The group also conducts scientific studies of galaxies and upper atmospheres. Chakrabarti, a professor of physics, is the 2016 recipient of the SPIE George W. Goddard Award, in recognition of exceptional achievement in optical or photonic instrumentation for aerospace, atmospheric science, or astronomy. Read Professor Chakrabarti's bio.