Regarding Elon Musk's plan to develop an engine capable of accelerating to 99% the speed of light, there is currently no publicly available, verified technology that can achieve this goal. According to existing physical theories, especially Einstein's theory of relativity, no known matter or propellant can accelerate a spacecraft to the speed of light, let alone 99% of it. The speed of light is the ultimate limit in the universe, and any object with mass cannot reach or exceed the speed of light, as it would require an infinite amount of energy.
At present, the rocket technologies being developed by SpaceX, such as the Falcon 9 and Starship, use traditional chemical propellants. These technologies have made significant advancements in the field of space exploration but are still far from reaching speeds close to the speed of light. Additionally, SpaceX's Starlink program is primarily aimed at providing global internet coverage, not high-speed space travel.
As for the so-called "spiral engine" or "warp drive," these concepts remain in the realm of theoretical discussion in the scientific community and present many unresolved physical and technical challenges. For instance, based on the theory proposed by NASA engineer David Burns, he has put forward a concept of an engine that does not require propellant, but these theories have not been experimentally verified and are not accepted by the mainstream scientific community.
Therefore, while Musk and his team have achieved remarkable accomplishments in aerospace technology, the creation of an engine capable of accelerating to 99% the speed of light is currently in the realm of science fiction. In the future, with the continuous development of science and technology, there may be new discoveries and breakthroughs, but we have not yet reached such a level of technological capability.Please leave your comments.