Project Icarus (Interstellar Probe Design Study)
Encyclopedia
Project Icarus is a theoretical design study aimed at designing a credible nuclear fusion
-based interstellar spacecraft
that will stand as a blueprint for a possible unmanned mission. The project is currently being run under the guidance of the Tau Zero Foundation (TZF) and the
British Interplanetary Society
(BIS), and was motivated by Project Daedalus
, a similar study that was conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the BIS.
The project is planned to take five years and began on September 30, 2009. An international team of twenty scientists and engineers has been assembled.
The primary propulsion system for the Icarus design will be mainly-fusion based which would have the capability to accelerate the spacecraft to an estimated 10% to 20% of the speed of light
.
Many of the original assumptions of the Daedalus systems will be completely re-examined and Project Icarus will likely be a redesign with only some common elements with Daedalus.
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
-based interstellar spacecraft
Interstellar travel
Interstellar space travel is manned or unmanned travel between stars. The concept of interstellar travel in starships is a staple of science fiction. Interstellar travel is much more difficult than interplanetary travel. Intergalactic travel, or travel between different galaxies, is even more...
that will stand as a blueprint for a possible unmanned mission. The project is currently being run under the guidance of the Tau Zero Foundation (TZF) and the
British Interplanetary Society
British Interplanetary Society
The British Interplanetary Society founded in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world whose aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.-Structure:...
(BIS), and was motivated by Project Daedalus
Project Daedalus
Project Daedalus was a study conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the British Interplanetary Society to design a plausible unmanned interstellar spacecraft. Intended mainly as a scientific probe, the design criteria specified that the spacecraft had to use current or near-future technology and had to...
, a similar study that was conducted between 1973 and 1978 by the BIS.
The project is planned to take five years and began on September 30, 2009. An international team of twenty scientists and engineers has been assembled.
The primary propulsion system for the Icarus design will be mainly-fusion based which would have the capability to accelerate the spacecraft to an estimated 10% to 20% of the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
.
Many of the original assumptions of the Daedalus systems will be completely re-examined and Project Icarus will likely be a redesign with only some common elements with Daedalus.