  Solitons in space-time capable of transporting time-like observers at
superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the weak, strong, and
dominant energy conditions of general relativity. This trend was recently
broken by a new approach that identified soliton solutions capable of
superluminal travel while being sourced by purely positive energy densities.
This is the first example of hyper-fast solitons satisfying the weak energy
condition, reopening the discussion of superluminal mechanisms rooted in
conventional physics. This article summarizes the recent finding and its
context in the literature. Remaining challenges to autonomous superluminal
travel, such as the dominant energy condition, horizons, and the identification
of a creation mechanism are also discussed.
