"Revolutionary Pellet-Beam Propulsion Could Cut Voyager 1 Travel Time by 5 Years"
A new spacecraft propulsion system that uses pellets accelerated by a laser beam could reach speeds of up to 480,000 km/h, making it 10 times faster than traditional rocket propulsion systems. The system could potentially overtake Voyager 1, the farthest human-made spacecraft from Earth, in just five years. The concept, which has received $175,000 in funding from NASA's NIAC program, is still in the early stages of development and relies on significant advances in laser design.