In the framework of Einstein's theory of special relativity, particles with mass cannot reach or exceed the speed of light in a vacuum. As an object with mass accelerates, its energy increases, and according to the famous equation E=mc^2, this would lead to an increase in mass. As the object's velocity approaches the speed of light (c), its mass would approach infinity, making it impossible to accelerate the particle further without an infinite amount of energy.
Because of this, particles with mass are subject to relativistic effects like time dilation and an increase in apparent mass as their speed approaches the speed of light. These effects prevent them from ever reaching or surpassing the speed of light.
On the other hand, particles without mass, such as photons (particles of light), always travel at the speed of light in a vacuum. They have no rest mass and are inherently massless. Since their speed is already the maximum possible speed in the universe, they do not experience the same limitations as massive particles.
It is important to note that the concept of "mass increase" for objects as they approach the speed of light is often misunderstood. In modern physics, we usually refer to the concept of "relativistic mass" as an outdated and less useful way of describing relativistic effects. Instead, we rely on the concept of "rest mass" (invariant mass), which remains constant for an object regardless of its speed. The energy of a particle with mass increases with its speed, but the rest mass remains the same. For massless particles like photons, they have no rest mass, and their energy is entirely determined by their frequency and speed (always at c).