[throwaway74902]

We won't get the capability to build probes that approach the speed of light if we keep observing instead of beginning to build the probe.

[_ph_]

Nobody said something about stopping building probes. That will continue and eventually lead to probes which might approach the speed of light. But the achievable targets for the next decades are planetary, not interstellar.

[throwaway74902]

Nobody said anything about stopping building planetary probes.