SKK Drives

Full Name: Stover-Kwan-Konstantinov Higgs Field-Assisted Fusion-Torch Particle Impulse Engines

The SKK drive is the standard sublight propulsion method for spacecraft manufactured in the Terran Alliance. While the original incarnation of the Stover Drive was a simple Fusion Torch, the current technology behind the drive system these days is technically known as the “Stover-Kwan-Konstantinov Higgs Field-Assisted Fusion Torch Particle Impulse Engine” or the “SKK Higgs-Assisted Fusion Torch.” The fusion torch that comprised the original Stover Drive is now used to produce particles that are magnetically accelerated at relativistic velocities out of the propulsion ports. A low-power Higgs Nullification Field is used to lower the inertia of the vehicle that the propulsion system is part of, which increases the acceleration of the vehicle until it has reached the desired velocity, at which point the Higgs Field is powered down gradually to allow for normal operation inside the vessel. The vessel then coasts until thrust is needed again. This drive system has a peak performance of roughly 1 AU/hour, which keeps time dilation to an ‘acceptable’ 99% of normal. The Stover Drive can safely be operated inside the atmosphere due to the Higgs Field, since the fusion reactor that powers it is aneutronic, meaning it emits minimal energy in the form of ionizing neutron radiation. Common manufacturers of this drive system include Volokh-Wang Space Systems, however most shipbuilders have in-house manufacturing arms for production.