Jump drive

Added in patch 01.090, the jump drive allows for instantaneous relocation to a distant location. Once activated, the block initiates a short countdown, then stretches the screen and teleports the ship to its new coordinates. This is faster-than-light (FTL) capability.

The block itself is available only for large grids. It is 3x2x2. Before use it must be charged like a battery; maximum storage is 3.00MWh, and its maximum charge rate is 32MW. Thus, it should take 5.625 minutes to charge if power is not restricted.

Once fully charged, the block can be activated to jump. This will expend stored energy. Jump distance is proportional to energy expended and inversely proportional to the mass of the ship. Multiple drives may be combined to extend range.

Jump drives will not activate unless there is at least one drive on the ship at 100% charge (making multiple consecutive jumps require additional, preserved drives), will not jump the ship less than 5000 meters, and will not jump within 2km of any object (attempting to do so will result in a shortened jump). The jump must be activated from a "main" cockpit, by use of a toolbar, and will start a short countdown. The jump may be aborted by turning off the jump drive, but the energy will still be lost. The jump may be a "blind jump", in which the ship advances X meters forward in whatever direction it happens to be facing (relax; you can't jump into anything), or a jump to/towards a GPS point. Configuration is done through the control panel and activation is done from the cockpit toolbar.

Ships attached by connector or landing gear will be dragged along for the ride, as will any astronauts in cockpits, control panels, flight seats, or passenger seats. Any ship or astronaut not so connected will be left behind, regardless of whether they were inside an enclosed space, so watch that you do not accidentally leave friends or equipment behind.

What does this mean in terms of uranium?

A fully charged jump drive is 157.0681 kilograms of Uranium Ingots. That is the initial investment. A default red ship (2,585,761 kilograms) can go 1933.67 kilometers on its two jump drives (6 MWh, total). This indicates a cost of 1.2*10^-12 MWh/(kg*m). Translated: moving one million kilograms of ship the minimum jump distance of 5km requires 0.314 kilograms of uranium ingots. One uranium ingot will get a million kilos of ship 15,916.69 meters.