Fusion Rockets: Racing to 10% Light Speed by 2050
Fusion propulsion could enable spacecraft to reach 10% of light speed by mid-century, shrinking Mars missions to one month and making interstellar travel feasible within a human lifetime. Labs worldwide have achieved fusion breakeven, proving the physics; engineering challenges—plasma confinement, neutron shielding, fuel supply—are tractable with current technology. This revolution will transform space mining, scientific exploration, and human settlement, but raises risks of weaponization, in...
