Editing Interstellar travel (section)

{{Short description|Hypothetical travel between stars or planetary systems}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Bussard Interstellar Ramjet Engine.jpg|thumb|A [[Bussard ramjet]], one of many possible methods that could serve to propel spacecraft|300x300px]]'''Interstellar travel''' is the hypothetical travel of [[spacecraft]] between [[star system]]s. Due to the vast distances between the [[Solar System]] and nearby [[star]]s, interstellar travel is not practicable with current [[propulsion]] technologies.

To travel between stars within a reasonable amount of time (decades or centuries), an interstellar spacecraft must reach a significant fraction of the [[speed of light]], requiring enormous energy. Communication with such interstellar craft will experience years of delay due to the speed of light. Collisions with [[cosmic dust]] and gas at such speeds can be catastrophic for such spacecrafts. Crewed interstellar travel could possibly be conducted more slowly (far beyond the scale of a human lifetime) by making a [[generation ship]]. Hypothetical interstellar propulsion systems include [[nuclear pulse propulsion]], [[fission-fragment rocket]], [[fusion rocket]], beamed [[solar sail]], and [[antimatter rocket]].

The benefits of interstellar travel include detailed surveys of habitable [[exoplanet]]s and distant stars, comprehensive [[search for extraterrestrial intelligence]] and [[space colonization]]. Even though [[List of artificial objects leaving the Solar System|five uncrewed spacecraft have left our Solar System]], they are not "interstellar craft" because they are not purposefully designed to explore other star systems. Thus, as of the 2020s, interstellar spaceflight remains a popular trope in [[Future of space exploration|speculative future studies]] and [[science fiction]]. A civilization that has mastered interstellar travel is called an interstellar species.