Starship

For the rocket, see SpaceX Starship. For other uses, see Starship (disambiguation).

Artistic depiction of a fictional starship

A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems.[1] The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in Oahspe: A New Bible.[2]

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; Voyager 1 probe and Gliese 445 will pass one another within 1.6 light years in about 40,000 years.[3] 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.

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,[4] capable of making the journey to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system, at speeds of 20%[5][6] and 15%[7] 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.

  1. ^ Erik Sofge (20 September 2012). "What Would a Actually Look Like?". Popularmechanics. Archived from the original on 13 July 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Oahspe - Index". gailallen.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-30.; "Oahspe - Book of Divinity: Chapter XVI". gailallen.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  3. ^ "Voyager 1 Has Date with a Star in 40,000 Years". Space.com. 13 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  4. ^ Gilster, Paul (12 April 2016). "Breakthrough Starshot: Mission to Alpha Centauri". Centauri Dreams. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ^ Overbye, Dennis (12 April 2016). "A Visionary Project Aims for Alpha Centauri, a Star 4.37 Light-Years Away". New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  6. ^ Stone, Maddie (12 April 2016). "Stephen Hawking and a Russian Billionaire Want to Build an Interstellar Starship". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  7. ^ Staff (12 April 2016). "Breakthrough Starshot". Breakthrough Initiatives. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.