Faster-than-light-speed travel

Faster-than-light-speed travel or FTL stands for any speed which is greater than the speed of light.

Until the 2200's, the speed of light was seen as the fastest speed to naturally occur. As such, it was in everyone's interest to match it, seeing as space travel would benefit from it greatly. Having the possibility of traveling at the speed of light would allow ships to reach distant worlds within years, instead of generations. Any ship strong enough to travel at such speeds and able to avoid collisions, space dust impacts and other dangers would then have been a facilitator for true space colonization. The first tests for probes able to carry equipment and travelling at speed of light multiplier velocities, were conducted by the Swedish Aeronautics Department in 2203. These were driven by Pulse Engines. The first pulse flight took a probe to Proxima Centauri (4.2 ly distant) within 65 months. The probe tested, did 23 pulse jumps, and performed 2,435 computations of heading. Later probes, when perfected, could reach Proxima in a steady 50 months in 8-9 jumps, and more than 3,200 computations.

Pulse engines were powered by Deuterium Nuclear Cores, and used magnetic propulsion. The first Pulse engines on manned vessels were mounted on passenger and patrol vessels as of the 2220's. The first manned exploration mission to outer space occurred in 2224, with the NLRS “Daniel” exploring the surroundings of the Oort cloud, and open space, until 2227, when it was recalled. Until that time, the Oort Cloud was an almost impenetrable barrier, and venturing outside it, an unnecessary risk. A year later, 2228, plans were made for a probe mapping program to analize and expand existing star and planet catalogues, in a range as broad as 140 ly: the Exosystemic probe scout mapping, or X-Scout. It would take 4 years for UNSA to build and prepare the probes, and two further years to complete the training for the technicians and analysts to whom the preparation and maintenance of the program was entrusted. Thus, the probes, and the X-Scout program were launched in 2235.

Modern FTL
Subsequent centuries saw an ever increasing number of developments and upgrades to the Pulse engines, operated by gas, deuterium, helium, or other materials. Modern engines may cover the distance between Gea and the Earth within a week or so.