This gets to the heart of investing in such a venture. There is no real return on the investment for individual investors. If a ship traveled to TRAPPIST-1, then came back, 80 years would have passed on Earth.

Who would invest in this? Altruism for the future of the species just may not be enough. Also, that money might be better spent on fixing what’s wrong on Earth. On the other hand, it‘s not too different from oceanic exploration of 500 years ago when many explorers didn‘t expect to ever return home.