--- title: "SpaceX-Affiliated Group Giving Out Funding for Warp Drive Research" description: "The Limitless Space Institute non-profit is generating enough excitement and funding for the idea for a warp drive it has started giving out grants." date: "2022-06-01" modified: "2022-06-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/group-funding-warp-research" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "interstellar travel" - "the digest" - "warp drive" --- # SpaceX-Affiliated Group Giving Out Funding for Warp Drive Research ![The Limitless Space Institute non-profit is generating enough excitement and funding for the idea for a warp drive it has started giving out grants.]() *\Image: Paramount Pictures\* ## Limitless Space Covering interstellar distances rapidly may still be a distant dream, but it's now getting unprecedented financial support. A nonprofit called the Limitless Space Institute, co-founded by former NASA warp drive researcher Harold "Sonny" White and retired astronaut Brian Kelly in 2020, is generating enough excitement — and funding — for the concept that it's started giving out educational and research grants to schools and universities, as [detailed by *Universe Today*](). The Institute, whose [mission statement]() is to "inspire and educate the next generation to travel beyond our solar system and support the research and development of enabling technologies," has even picked up some increasingly mainstream support. Take Gwynne Shotwell, the chief operations officer and second-in-command of SpaceX, who [joined]() as an independent advisor in April, joining other bigshots in the aerospace sector including several retired astronauts involved with the venture. Funding being disbursed by the group ranges from [theoretical focus grants]() under $100,000 to two-year postdoctoral fellowships of over $90,000 a year. It's unclear who's funding the venture. "Establishing the capability to send human beings to every destination in the Solar System — think about that," White told *Universe Today*. "Having an entire Solar System of materials and resources would change the very concept of scarcity. Diamond is rare, but if you have a whole Solar System at your disposal, maybe that changes the definition of what that is." ## Science Non-Fiction Despite the financial momentum, breaking the speed of light currently remains firmly within the realm of science fiction. While White and his team have made strides in [exploring the theoretical limitations]() of a warp drive, distorting space and time to allow a spacecraft to move at ludicrous speeds would still requires "exotic matter" or negative mass, neither of which you can buy at the local gas station. It's a fascinating idea that's inspired some of the greatest works of science fiction. But perhaps, with sufficient funding and a groundswell in support, it might be possible. *Updated to correctly identify Gwynne Shotwell's relationship to Limitless Space.* **READ MORE:** [The Dream of Faster-than-Light (FTL) Travel: Dr. Harold “Sonny” White and Limitless Space]() \[*Universe Today*\] **More on interstellar travel:** *[Scientist Proposes Using Entire Planet as Spaceship to Different Star System]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()