Project Icarus: The Pegasus Spacecraft Concept Design ICF Propulsion for an Interstellar Rendezvous Mission _ Part B

K. F. Long

2025.078.0422

DOI https://doi.org/10.59332/jbis-078-12-0422

This paper is a follow-up to an earlier one in relation to the design of an interstellar spacecraft called Pegasus, which set out to re-design the Daedalus spacecraft based on advances in science and technology. The Pegasus is an inertial confinement fusion propelled spacecraft driven by laser beams, the technology for which is now supported by successful experiments at the National Ignition Facility. The Pegasus is a concept for an interstellar rendezvous mission carrying a 150 tonnes payload to 4.3 ly in a trip duration of order a century. In this paper we discuss various physics and engineering issues relevant to the propulsion system, to include the reaction chamber, magnetic field control and charged particle jet collimation. This paper is a final contribution to Project Icarus.

Keywords: Interstellar Studies, Fusion Propulsion, Pegasus, Project Icarus