Humans have been dreaming of traveling through outer space for generations. This has even been a goal before we truly understood just how large the universe is. While there have been an endless number of fictional spacecraft depicted in books, movies, and TV shows, very few have been designed so that they could become a reality.

To help push humanity toward a world where we can truly travel the stars, the Project Hyperion Design Competition was launched last year. This competition was developed by various scientists, engineers, urban planners, and other experts. They asked people to design a spacecraft that would be able to house humans on a multigenerational trip through space.

The design did not have to use only technology and designs that are available today, but the designs should be feasible in the near future so that they could be practical.

The winning design was named Chrysalis, and it was made to hold up to 2400 people. It is a 36-mile spacecraft that has everything that humans would need to live, reproduce, and survive throughout their entire lives until they reach the solar system that is nearest to us, Alpha Centauri, and beyond.

At 36 miles long, this would be quite the engineering undertaking. It would almost certainly have to be built, or at least assembled, in space. While the SpaceX Starship does allow for much larger payloads than ever before (once it is fully proven out), it would still take many years to construct such a huge ship.

The Chrysalis would come with artificial gravity made possible by constant rotation around its own axis, according to the brief on the project. Around that axis would be multiple layers that would be designated for key functions, including housing, warehouses, food production, communal spaces, and much more.

The fact that they have to plan for such a long trip means that everything they could possibly need will have to be on board. This includes places for farming, farm animals, schools, and more. The whole ship would be powered by multiple nuclear fusion reactors.

It is important to note that we can’t even make functional nuclear fusion reactors here on Earth yet, so that should give you an idea of how far out this plan really is.

In addition to the various layers that would all have gravity similar to Earth, the designers put in a ‘Cosmos Dome’ that is 426 feet high and 1180 feet in diameter. This would be an area of zero gravity with clear panels so people could look out into the universe.

Given just how far away Alpha Centauri is, the team expects that the crew of the ship would have to live for a minimum of three generations. This means that the people who launch away from Earth on this craft would know that they would spend the rest of their lives on board, and that their children would likely also live and die on the ship.

A multigenerational ship like this has a lot of things that need to be planned for, but if it could be made a reality, it would really help to push humanity to the next stages of civilization.

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