In the outer reaches of our Solar System, far beyond the orbit of Pluto, lies one of the most mysterious objects ever discovered, Sedna. This reddish dwarf planet follows such an extreme orbit that it takes over 11,000 years to complete a single journey around the Sun. Now, scientists are proposing a new mission to reach this distant world using a revolutionary propulsion technology.

Sedna represents far more than just another distant rock, though. It's a new orbital class of object, the sednoids, and its extreme orbit suggests it may be the first known member of the inner Oort Cloud. Understanding Sedna could unlock secrets about the early Solar System's formation and the gravitational influences that shaped it.

A new feasibility study has examined two cutting-edge approaches to technology that would reach Sedna within this narrow window of opportunity. The first involves the Direct Fusion Drive (DFD), a conceptual nuclear fusion engine, designed to produce both thrust and electric power. For the DFD, researchers assume a 1.6 MW system with constant thrust and specific impulse, representing a massive leap beyond current propulsion technology.

The second approach involves an ingenious variation on solar sailing technology. Rather than relying entirely on solar radiation pressure, this concept uses thermal desorption instead. This is a process where molecules or atoms that are stuck to a surface are released when that surface is heated up, and it's this process that produces the propulsion. It would be assisted by a gravity assist manoeuvre around Jupiter, using the planet's immense gravitational field as a gravitational slingshot.