How might future spaceships differ from today’s designs for interplanetary travel?

Future spaceships will focus on efficiency, sustainability, and autonomy. They’ll likely use nuclear propulsion or plasma engines to drastically reduce travel time between planets. Artificial gravity through rotating habitats may reduce health risks from long-term weightlessness. 3D-printed components and modular assembly will make spacecraft easier to repair or expand in space. Interiors will feature AI-driven systems to manage navigation, repairs, and life support with minimal human input. Radiation protection and closed-loop life-support systems will become more advanced, recycling air and water nearly perfectly. These innovations will make deep-space missions—such as to Mars or even Jupiter’s moons—more achievable and safer for human crews.