Intergalactic Summit

A 1.5 BILLION ISK COMPETITION
TO LAUNCH A PRIVATELY FUNDED SPACECRAFT
INTO INTERSTELLAR SPACE

Hello,

Fellow captains, explorers, and pilots.
We are at a crossroads in the story of humanity. Thus far in the story, mankind has already suffered a series of great and terrible losses, and fractured into many disparate and conflicting sects and identities. Our past glories are reduced to ruin, and even as we try to struggle out from beneath the bones of our ancestors, we see the sparks that may yet light the fires of our demise.

But comrades, fellow travellers among the stars, our fate is far from sealed, and our story far from over. We may yet have a chance to move forward into a new era of growth, prosperity, and discovery.

While we travel the stars, they are yet out of reach. While we may be able to navigate to some degree using stargates and warp drives, we are far from having mastered the art, and we have yet to truly be able to reach to a point in the sky, and say 'take me there.' This is the goal of this new era. An entire galaxy, and a universe of galaxies, awaits for us, if we have what it takes to reach it. The night sky beckons, promising a future brighter then we can possibly imagine.

To that end, I am announcing the Interstellar X-Prize. This competition will award a billion isk to the first team to develop an interstellar propulsion method capable of reaching a designated point in space. Competition has always been a strong driver of innovation, and it is my hope that the spirit of this competition will drive innovations that will serve us for decades to come. Although audacious, the goal is, I believe, ultimately achievable. We have already done many great things as a civilisation. Our gate network extends across all of New Eden, connecting together millions of worlds, and trillions of lives. But this is just the beginning my friends, we cannot simply rest on our laurels, content within the cradle of our civilisation, we must reach far beyond our own lifespans, and truly embrace the vastness of the cosmos, and contemplate our future among the stars.

New Eden cannot last forever. Will we continue to cling to the worlds our birth as their parent stars burn down to ash? Will our distant descendants continue to call New Eden home as the nebulas that light our space go dark? No, we will reach out and find bright new worlds among distant stars, we will ply our trade between spiral arms, and eventually between galaxies, spreading far and wide until our species has touched every corner of existence. The first step of that journey is here, and now.

We welcome you, contests, to be a part of the future of humanity.

The rules:
*The team must build, test, and demonstrate, a piloted vessel capable of self propelled, point to point faster then light travel.
*The vessel must reach a location, here-forth known as the Beacon Point, located 50 light years 'up' with respect to the ecliptic from the Yulai primary star
*Vessel must return from the Beacon Point no later then 31.12.YC120
*Vessel must launch for the Beacon Point no later then 31.12.YC119
*Vessel must demonstrate the ability to reach 5 randomly generated sets of coordinates at various ranges between 15-35 light years.
*All participants must register a team, the team must be registered no later then 31.12.YC117,
*All teams must consist of at least one capsuleer to act as liaison and pilot.

Now, let us begin

Ad Astra Per Aspera
Saede Riordan
Systems Coordinator, Alexylva Paradox

It is also interesting to note that this method is not far from the wormhole generation used by the Nation, with the difference being that we are unable for now to make them self sustainable, even if remaining in a violent state.

Mr. Pitoojee; I believe that's part of the point. That said, while I doubt any drive technology would allow free warping to points in the deep unknown, and we all know that the technology to leave the boundaries of the cluster exists but is withheld from capsuleer hands, I do firmly agree with the principle of technology dissemination.

Ms. Riordan, while we don't necessarily see eye to eye on most things, this is the sort of quixotic test-of-capability that would appeal to Itsukame-Zainou Hyperspatial Inquiries. Consider this an entry into the contest, as we explore what methods might be available to us.

I herby offer my services as a test pilot. As a explorer of w space I have a long pedigree of space exploration and piloting skills in harsh and deadly areas of space.

Light years, not AU.

Mr. Renvolint, Ms. Priano, your teams have been registered, as has Mr. Renviolint's contribution to the prize money. If anyone would like to assist with some of the backend work on this project, such as managing galnet sites and the like, send me a mail.

Eh? I might look into an entry in this. God knows my daughters keep asking me to go into space and just keep going. And going. And then some.

While I do not have the expertise, nor do any of my employees, I am very interested in this concept. I have already submitted an offer to help with the 'backend work', and the creation of an engine which can jump 50 light years would indeed be a great achievement for the Unbound.

Also, I hope there will be auctions for this drive. I would be willing to bid high for such an engine.

Greetings Ms. Riordan.
Perpetual Alliance, represented by DuPont Enterprises, would like to register itself as a team on this research/competition, one that we saw and analyzed with great enthusiasm. Jeane DuPont will be the liaison of our team.

All teams applying so far have been successfully registered, and the contest website has been put up successfully. Registration will continue until the end of the year, at which point no new registrations will be accepted.

How would one determine if the "winning" team has succeeded?