Europa Drive

Important: Information is subject to change during development

Europa Jump Drive
The Europa jump drive is a matter wavelength drive. The jump drive is based on the popular hypothesis that matter behaves like waves, creating matter waves as per the [https://opentextbc.ca/universityphysicsv3openstax/chapter/de-broglies-matter-waves/#:~:text=De%20Broglie's%20hypothesis%20of%20matter%20waves%20postulates%20that%20any%20particle,the%20speed%20of%20the%20particle. De Broglie hypothesis]. The jump drive casts a mask that covers the matter in the ship by masking it as pure energy, which allows matter to pass through an end-to-end wormhole. Previous attempts to use the Europa drive resulted in catastrophic failure but due to the discovery of Ti-82 ships were finally able to withstand the stresses of faster than light travel. A jump is referred to as "making the fall" by space travelers due to the falling sensation when leaving a jump conduit.

FTL Exclusion Zone
The matter wavelength drive is impacted by gravity. The smaller the gravitational forces exerted on a ship, the longer the effective range of the jump drive. Because of this effect, in system travel is hindered by nearby gravitational bodies. If a ship in FTL approaches a body with sufficient mass it will exit FTL travel. The zone at which this occurs is referred to as the exclusion zone. All celestial bodies with enough mass have an exclusion zone around them. Ships wishing to leave the influence of a gravitational body must use their conventional drive systems, also known as Fusion drives, to move outside of this exclusion zone to use the jump drive. Fusion drives can also be used to travel between celestial bodies or points of interest, but take considerably more time compared to the jump drive.

Fuel
The Europa drive consumes fuel in the form of He3. Players are required to set up a logistical network for refueling ships that travel long distances or have multiple jump points. Refueling can be done by a civilian refueling ship or a station. If attacked during a refueling operation, there is a possibility the fuel could ignite, causing a chain reaction that could destroy or damage any nearby vessels.