Researchers have proposed a new propulsion method that could make covering the vast distances required for interstellar missions feasible within a human lifetime.
The fundamental challenge in reaching a different star system lies in figuring out how to generate and transfer enough energy to a spacecraft both efficiently and affordably. The physical limitations of modern spacecraft pose significant challenges for reaching interstellar space in a human lifetime, especially with limited room onboard for carrying propellant or batteries. If we ever want to achieve the tremendous speeds necessary to cross interstellar distances in a human lifetime, we need to find outside-the-box solutions.
Enter relativistic electron beams made up of electrons moving close to the speed of light. “Beaming power to the ship has long been recognized as one way to get more energy […] than we can carry with us,” Jeff Greason, Chief Technologist of Electric Sky, Inc, and chairman of the Tau Zero Foundation, told Space.com. “Energy is power [multiplied by] time — so to get a given amount of energy from a beam, you either need very high power or you need to stay in the beam a long time.”
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