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Comparison of Propulsion Systems to Reach Alpha Centauri

Muhammet Enes ŞAHİN,MUHAMMET ÖZTÜRK

  • Muhammet Enes ŞAHİN: Necmettin Erbakan UNİVERSİTESİ
  • MUHAMMET ÖZTÜRK: NECMETTİN ERBAKAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ
  •  Year : 2026
  •  Vol : 5
  •  Issue : 1
  •  Page : 25-37
Today, many different propulsion systems have been developed for use in space. However, chemical propulsion systems are not considered sufficient for interstellar missions due to their low specific impulse values, while ion propulsion systems are not considered sufficient due to their low thrust levels. Although fission and fusion-based photonic propulsion systems offer high efficiency and potential speed values, due to current technological limitations and the vastness of interstellar distances, it does not seem possible for even these systems to reduce the time required to reach the nearest stars, such as Alpha Centauri, to reasonable levels. This study aims to compare different propulsion systems for the Alpha Centauri mission through numerical modeling. Speed, acceleration, and arrival times were calculated for each system, and performance analyses were conducted based on the numerical results. According to the findings, even under ideal conditions, the fusion-based propulsion system, which showed the highest performance, was calculated to take 1,674 years to reach Alpha Centauri. This value reveals that both this system and other existing propulsion types are inadequate for interstellar missions when compared to the lifespan of humans.
Cite this Article As : Şahin, M. E. & Öztürk, M. (2025). Comparison of Propulsion Systems to Reach Alpha Centauri, Aerospace Research Letters (ASREL), 5(1), 25-37.

Conflict of interest : The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This article is published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
Asrel Aerospace Research Letters
2026, Vol5, Issue1
E-ISSN: 2980-0064
Received : , Accepted : , Published Online :

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