There are very few scientific studies that investigate the issues in building a starship. To travel between stars in a reasonable time using rocket-like technology requires very high effective exhaust velocity jet and enormous energy to power this, such as might be provided by fusion power or antimatter. In April 2016, scientists announced Breakthrough Starshot, a Breakthrough Initiatives program, to develop a proof-of-concept fleet of small centimeter-sized light sail spacecraft named StarChip, capable of making the journey to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system, at speeds of 20% and 15% of the speed of light, taking between 20 and 30 years to reach the star system, respectively, and about 4 years to notify Earth of a successful arrival.Īrtist's conception of British Interplanetary Society's Project Daedalus (1978), a fusion powered interstellar probe Several preliminary designs for starships have been undertaken through exploratory engineering, using feasibility studies with modern technology or technology thought likely to be available in the near future. While NASA's Voyager and Pioneer probes have traveled into local interstellar space, the purpose of these uncrewed craft was specifically interplanetary, and they are not predicted to reach another star system (although Voyager 1 will travel to within 1.7 light years of Gliese 445 in approximately 40,000 years). Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in Oahspe: A New Bible. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Artistic depiction of a fictional starshipĪ starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems.
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