Planetary Facilities

The following rules apply to building planetary facilities.

Spaceport

Old

• 1) Determine how many ships need to be supported at one time, represented as tonnage.
• 2) Multiply the tonnage by 4 to represent the number of metric tons to which the building structures are equivalent. (Note: a Standard Cargo Unit (SCU) is itself equivalent to 6.75 mt, the mass of water that would fit within a 6.75 cubic meter 'box'. SCUs are the standard Structural Unit for a ground facility, i.e. 6.75 mt.) Record both the tonnage and SCUs.
• 3) Determine the square kilometer area of the overall facility by dividing the simultaneous shipping tonnage by 19,231.
• 4) The paved area of a spaceport equals 10% of that overall area, costing 3 mt for each square meter (1,000,000 m2 per 1 km2). Convert this into SCUs.
• 5) Add the building and paved area tonnages and SCUs together (respectively).
• 6) Compare the total facility mass to the Size Table (below) to determine the Size Rating.
• 7) Consult the Purchase and Maintenance RP Amounts table to determine the purchase and maintenance costs of the facility.
• 8) It will take one SCE battalion six months to create a spaceport 0.5 square kilometers in size.

Draft New

• 1) Determine how many ships need to be supported at one time, represented as tonnage. Compare this to the 'Size Rating' table below to determine the Facility Size Rating.
• 2) Determine the square kilometer area of the overall facility by dividing the simultaneous shipping tonnage by 19,231.
• 3) Infrastructure: Multiply the tonnage by 4 to represent the number of metric tons to which the direct-support building structures are equivalent. (Note: a Standard Cargo Unit (SCU) is itself equivalent to 6.75 mt, the mass of water that would fit within a 6.75 cubic meter 'box'. SCUs are the standard Structural Unit for a ground facility, i.e. 6.75 mt.) Record both the tonnage and SCUs.
• 4) Personnel Systems:
  • - Manufacturing Systems: Spaceports, though not equipped with the quantity of planetary shipyards- have Industrial Fabrication Units on hand to conduct repairs or upgrades of ships present. These units do not have the capabilities of those of the interstellar era, but can produce rather complicated items. See the table below.
  • - Medical Systems: Medical facilities are usually expected at a spaceport in order to preform basic first aid tasks or triage, until a major casualty team can arrive from local hospitals. See 'Medical Systems Tables' for the latest capabilities.
  • - Recreation Facilities: The galleys, gyms and lounges at a spaceport are usually nothing to frown upon. They will come in ratings 2 through 5, though at three SCU times the listed SUs (as everything should be bigger than found on any ship). See 'Table 5.12e: Pre-2342 Rec Ratings' for equivalent facilities.
  • - Personnel Transportation Systems: Spaceports can be large, widespread affairs and many offer transportation features to allow clients and employees to get to where they need to be ass efficiently as possible. Some examples:
    • - Lifts: 10 SCUs for each tenth of a square kilometer the spaceport encompasses
    • - Walkways: 5 SCUs for each tenth of a square kilometer the spaceport encompasses
    • - Mobile transports: 3 SCUs for each tenth of a square kilometer the spaceport encompasses (representing maglevs, hover shuttles, etc.)
  • - Fire Suppression Systems: Spaceports have both automated and manned systems for combating emergencies such as fires, collisions, crashes and spills. Multiply the Facility Size Rating by 10 for the number of SCUs needed to service the port's needs.
  • - Warehousing: While spaceport warehouse bay are not intended to be used for long-term storage, they are provided on a contingent basis to allow for quick turn-around of vessels. Available warehousing SCUs should equal shipping tonnage multiplied by 0.5.
• 5) Power Systems: Spaceports have the option of tying into a local power provider, but there may be a decision the port is too distant or needs a backup power system. For obvious reasons, a planetary spaceport cannot make use of a matter/antimatter intermix chambers.
  • - Fission/Fusion Reactors (optional): When onsite primary power is required, one large (or several separated and smaller) reactor will be installed. Fission is the primary power provider prior to to 2033 and weighs in at 15 SCUs per Facility Size Rating. Fusion reactors weight 9 SCU per Facility Size Rating.
  • - Backup Batteries (required): Regardless of the source of the primary power, backup power must be available and is met by batteries (9 x Size Rating).
• 6) Operations Systems:
  • - Control Tower: The traditional structure at any airfield or spaceport, this structure monitors and directs all traffic in the immediate vicinity and requires 12 SCU for each Size Rating.
  • - Admin Center: The main administrative hub of the spaceport, encompassing all of the main, front and department offices. It requires 5 SCU for each Size Rating. For earlier 'missions control', where all aspects of the flights of the spaceport's craft are overseen, and additional 4 SCU per rating is required.
  • - Computers: As with any modern facility, computers are critical to the proper management of a spaceport. Only 0.5 SCUs are needed for each Size Rating, though if the space port also operates as a 'mission control' double the size of the computer support. (Increases in computer technology do not really affect spaceport systems (regarding size.)
  • - Sensors: All spaceports require sensor data in order to keep all traffic safe. Compare the Facility Size Rating against the latest class of navigational sensors (at 'Table 8.9.3a: Navigational Sensors - Strength') to determine the SCUs for the spaceport's needs. If the spaceport hosts a /mission control', multiply the result by 3.

Tables

Size Rating

Size Rating: Facility Scale

Mass Range (mt)	Size
31 - 60,000	3
60,001 - 200,000	4
200,001 - 400,000	5
400,001 - 1,875,000	6
1,875,001 - 4,000,000	7
4,000,001 - 5,000,000	8
5,000,001 - 6,000,000	9
6,000,001 - 8,000,000	10
8,000,001 - 10,000,000	11
10,000,001 - 12,000,000	12
12,000,001 - 14,000,000	13
14,000,001 - 17,000,000	14
17,000,001 - 20,000,000	15
20,000,001 - 23,000,000	16

Early Industrial Fabrication Units

Early Industrial Fabrication Units

Type	SCU	Average Creation Time(1 SCU)	Year
Type I	8	10 hours
Type II	7	8 hours	1990
Type III	6	6 hours	2000
Type IV	6	5 hours	2010
Type V	5	4 hours	2020
Type VI	5	3 hours	2030
Type VII	4	3 hours	2040
Type VIII	4	2 hours	2050

SCUs weigh 6.75 mt and measure ~1.9 m on each side.

Early Industrial Fabrication Units were not intended for shipboard use, though it is possible they were installed upon early support stations.

Advancement in fabrication technology (2063) allowed for much smaller units that could be installed shipboard.