Antimatter drive

The antimatter drive is the key to interplanetary trade and commerce within the Tourr Imperium. Utilizing Drarhour Theory to draw antimatter from parallel universes, an engine catalyzes a micro fission-fusion reaction within nuclear pellets with an antiproton beam. =Principles= A Drarhour generator is utilized to generate a beam of antiprotons. These particles strike a target, composed of a mixture of uranium, deuterium, and tritium, producing a significant amount of energy; the annihilation catalyzes a fission reaction, which in turn catalyzes a fusion reaction. Energy released by the nuclear pellets creates a plasma, which is directed by onboard magnetics to produce thrust. =Specifications= Antimatter engines produce a specific impulse of approximately 13,500 seconds; most Imperial-certified commercial spacecraft are capable of accelerating to and decelerating from a cruise velocity of 25 kilometers per second. A typical 1,000-tonne freighter ship will use 2 micrograms of antimatter on an interplanetary trip, about 1,300 kWh of Drarhour energy; shipping rates run at 38,000 Zaal per tonne, of which about 11,000 constitutes the cost of antimatter itself.

The total quantity of fusion energy harnessed by all antimatter engines totals about 240 terawatts, over 15% of systemwide energy consumption. While some engineers have suggested utilizing antimatter-catalyzed nuclear energy to power the electrical grid, the technology is not yet useful for power generation, and is only used for propulsion applications.