Can inertia be used as a force for propulsion?
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Inertia is not a force. Inertia is the result of a force being (or not being) applied.
Something can be propelled and then under inertia, remain in motion… But inertia itself would not act on something.
If one thing collides with another thing, its kenetic energy becomes the force that is transferred into another object, acting upon it and changing its state of inertia.
Inertia is what keeps that first object moving and the second object at rest.
Inertia merely states that an object in motion will keep moving unless it is stopped and an object that is not moving will not move unless something makes it move.
Since inertia is not a force, it cannot be used to propel or accelerate. Things are propelled or accelerated or decelerated to change their inertial state.
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