Chrysalis: 58-km spacecraft for 2,400 people to Alpha Centauri

An Italian-led team won the Project Hyperion design competition with Chrysalis, a concept for a 400-year, multigenerational voyage to Alpha Centauri. The 58-kilometer spacecraft would carry up to 2,400 people in concentric shells and rely on a direct fusion drive using deuterium and helium-3 at about 10% of light speed. No funding or propulsion technology exists yet.

• 58-km vessel designed for 2,400 people on a 400-year voyage
• Targets 10% of light speed with a direct fusion drive
• Sustainable population set at about 1,500 to preserve genetic diversity
• Crew would spend 70–80 years in Antarctic isolation before launch