A concept for an innovative relativistic interstellar propulsion drive has just been described in the May 23 issue of Acta Astronautica. The propulsion system uses a pulsed laser to generate “antimatter-like” annihilation reactions in hydrogen fuel producing high velocity K meson elementary particles at relativistic speeds. The method is suitable for powering large starships and could be available within a decade. The authors claim the energy released is 100 times greater than fusion. Because hydrogen is readily available throughout the galaxy, fuel for the return trip does not need to be carried on the outbound journey.
