don't we need the fusion drive first?
I think that the Epstein drive was invented after the colonization of Mars; fusion drives before that were much less effective. That said, it's inventor
did buy his secondhand ship from a Chinese owner, so it looks like the legacy of today's space race is still around then.
View: https://youtu.be/1lS_WxQ3zeU?si=mcEgbfbQv1aYN523