Latest news with #ProjectHyperionDesignCompetition
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Meet Chrysalis: The spaceship that could be humanity's one-way ticket to a 400-year-journey to space!
Humanity has always looked to the stars with curiosity, hope, and a constant thought, what if one day we could journey beyond our solar system? Now, engineers have brought that dream a little closer by proposing a bold vision for interstellar travel, through a rotating spacecraft designed to ferry thousands on a centuries‑long voyage to the nearest star. While it remains purely conceptual, Chrysalis ignites our imagination and brings us face-to-face with serious questions like, What would it take to build a self‑sustaining civilization in deep space? How would future generations live, learn, and preserve their humanity as they move between the stars? Which spacecraft is proposed to carry people to space Project concept, Photo: Chrysalis Via Project Hyperion Design Competition Engineers have proposed an extraordinary spacecraft named Chrysalis, envisioned to carry up to 2,400 people on a one‑way, multi‑generational journey to Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our Sun. The vessel spans 58 km in length, arranged in a concentric 'nesting‑doll' architecture with rotating sections to create artificial gravity. According to Project Hyperion's official brief, launched as part of the Project Hyperion Design Competition, Chrysalis took first place for its system‑level coherence and imaginative yet cohesive design. Its internal structure comprises layers dedicated to different functions, including a central zone for food production, farms with tropical and boreal forests, fungi, livestock, microbes, and insects. Apart from that, there will also be surrounding communal spaces such as parks, schools, libraries, and hospitals, residential shells with 3D‑printed modules, and the outermost zones serving as warehouses and industrial areas. The most attractive feature of the spaceship The 'Cosmos Dome', a microgravity viewing area showing transparent panels where people can move across weightlessly and take in the universe beyond, is an intentional design to encourage psychological well‑being. How will Chrysalis work Chrysalis would rely on nuclear fusion reactors, a technology not yet which has yet been developed, to power life support, machining, and habitat systems. The proposed journey spans roughly 400 years, meaning generations will live and die aboard before arriving, likely at Proxima Centauri b, a potential Earth‑like exoplanet. Design and living conditions of the project (Photo: Chrysalis Via Project Hyperion Design Competition) The design is proposed to maintain a stable population of about 1,500 individuals over time, despite the total capacity being 2,400. Social resilience would be supported by artificial intelligence, helping in the resilience of the whole social system, better knowledge transfer between the different generations of inhabitants, and a deeper vision of the overall dynamics of the Chrysalis spaceship complex,' according to the project brief. Preparations for the initial crew would include 70–80 years of adaptation in isolated environments like Antarctica, to ensure psychological readiness for prolonged confinement in space. While this is entirely theoretical, given our current inability to build practical fusion reactors or multi kilometer structures in space, the Chrysalis concept is an exploration into what our far-future outer‑space ambitions might look like.
Economic Times
09-08-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Meet Chrysalis: The starship that could take 2,400 humans to Alpha Centauri, nearest star system in 400 years
Chrysalis spacecraft: A new spaceship design has won a prize. The spaceship is named Chrysalis. It is designed for a long journey to Alpha Centauri. The journey will take 400 years. The ship will carry 2,400 people. Generations will live and die on the ship. The ship will have homes, schools, and farms. It will be a self-sustaining society. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What Is Chrysalis and How Far Will It Travel? Training for Life in Space: Preparing the First Generation Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What's Inside Chrysalis? FAQs Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A spaceship capable of transporting 2,400 humans on a multigenerational, one-way trip to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own, got the first prize in the Project Hyperion Design Competition, as per a report. The theoretical vessel, named 'Chrysalis', would take approximately 400 years to cover its 25-trillion-mile journey, according to the engineers who designed it, as reported by no one living today would ever step foot on its terminus, the design conceives of a future in which generations would live and die upon a spaceship, a moving civilization in transit, as it would take 400 years to reach Alpha Centauri, according to the designers envisioned it not only as a vessel, but as a sustaining society, according to the report. The travelers would be pioneers of another sort, children born in space who had never known Earth, and will house several generations of people until it enters the star system, where it could shuttle them to the surface of the planet Proxima Centuri b, an Earth-size exoplanet that is thought to be potentially habitable, as reported by READ: Skipping iPhone 17 Pro? Here's every juicy rumor about the iPhone 18 Pro so far To train the people boarding the ship, the first generation would spend 70 to 80 years in seclusion in Antarctica as the environment would ensure psychological wellbeing, according to the vessel will potentially be 36 miles (58 kilometers) long, and Chrysalis will be designed as a gigantic Russian nesting doll, with encasing habitats that envelop a core, as per the Livescience report. These encasings would house all of the necessities of human existence: homes, schools, parks, farms, and even forests, where every segment would be powered by theoretical nuclear fusion generators, according to the the center of the ship are shuttles and all the communication equipment, the heart of this mobile world, as per the report. The layer closest to the core is expected to be used to produce food, everything from crops and fungi to animals and insects, keeping a delicately balanced ecosystem, as per the Livescience second level would accommodate communal living, with libraries, hospitals, and space for study and play, according to the report. The residential level follows, planned with ventilation and climate control for each home, as per the Livescience report. Beyond that are the areas for industry, recycling, and production, as per the report. The outer shell would contain the gear, raw materials, and machinery, probably maintained by robots, according the READ: Who is Patrick Joseph White, Georgia gunman who killed 2, and what was his motive? Chrysalis would only be sustainable for a population of about 1,500 individuals, and births would be planned accordingly, as per the project engineers said that, those responsible for the ship's governance would collaborate with artificial intelligence, "allowing for resilience of the whole social system, better knowledge transfer between the different generations of inhabitants and a deeper vision of the overall dynamics of the Chrysalis spaceship complex," as quoted in the Livescience the entire plan is purely hypothetical, as some of the required technology, like commercial nuclear fusion reactors, doesn't yet exist, but projects like this one can still add to the existing knowledge base and help engineers improve upcoming designs, as reported by prepare mentally for the isolation and challenges of space controlled environments with plants, fungi, insects, and livestock.
Time of India
09-08-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Meet Chrysalis: The starship that could take 2,400 humans to Alpha Centauri, nearest star system in 400 years
Chrysalis spacecraft : A spaceship capable of transporting 2,400 humans on a multigenerational, one-way trip to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to our own, got the first prize in the Project Hyperion Design Competition, as per a report. The theoretical vessel, named 'Chrysalis', would take approximately 400 years to cover its 25-trillion-mile journey, according to the engineers who designed it, as reported by Livescience. What Is Chrysalis and How Far Will It Travel? Although no one living today would ever step foot on its terminus, the design conceives of a future in which generations would live and die upon a spaceship, a moving civilization in transit, as it would take 400 years to reach Alpha Centauri, according to the report. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Chrysalis designers envisioned it not only as a vessel, but as a sustaining society, according to the report. The travelers would be pioneers of another sort, children born in space who had never known Earth, and will house several generations of people until it enters the star system, where it could shuttle them to the surface of the planet Proxima Centuri b, an Earth-size exoplanet that is thought to be potentially habitable, as reported by Livescience. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Here's The Price of a 1-Day Walk-in Shower In 2025 Homebuddy Learn More Undo ALSO READ: Skipping iPhone 17 Pro? Here's every juicy rumor about the iPhone 18 Pro so far Training for Life in Space: Preparing the First Generation To train the people boarding the ship, the first generation would spend 70 to 80 years in seclusion in Antarctica as the environment would ensure psychological wellbeing, according to the report. Live Events What's Inside Chrysalis? The vessel will potentially be 36 miles (58 kilometers) long, and Chrysalis will be designed as a gigantic Russian nesting doll, with encasing habitats that envelop a core, as per the Livescience report. These encasings would house all of the necessities of human existence: homes, schools, parks, farms, and even forests, where every segment would be powered by theoretical nuclear fusion generators, according to the report. At the center of the ship are shuttles and all the communication equipment, the heart of this mobile world, as per the report. The layer closest to the core is expected to be used to produce food, everything from crops and fungi to animals and insects, keeping a delicately balanced ecosystem, as per the Livescience report. The second level would accommodate communal living, with libraries, hospitals, and space for study and play, according to the report. The residential level follows, planned with ventilation and climate control for each home, as per the Livescience report. Beyond that are the areas for industry, recycling, and production, as per the report. The outer shell would contain the gear, raw materials, and machinery, probably maintained by robots, according the Livescience. ALSO READ: Who is Patrick Joseph White, Georgia gunman who killed 2, and what was his motive? Chrysalis would only be sustainable for a population of about 1,500 individuals, and births would be planned accordingly, as per the report. The project engineers said that, those responsible for the ship's governance would collaborate with artificial intelligence, "allowing for resilience of the whole social system, better knowledge transfer between the different generations of inhabitants and a deeper vision of the overall dynamics of the Chrysalis spaceship complex," as quoted in the Livescience report. However, the entire plan is purely hypothetical, as some of the required technology, like commercial nuclear fusion reactors, doesn't yet exist, but projects like this one can still add to the existing knowledge base and help engineers improve upcoming designs, as reported by Livescience. FAQs Why do the first travelers spend time in Antarctica? To prepare mentally for the isolation and challenges of space life. How will food be grown on the ship? In controlled environments with plants, fungi, insects, and livestock.
