SPACE STATION TYPES
Space stations are different from space ships, as they have no means of propulsion. Instead, they are constructed in orbit around a planet, and stay there through their entire service.  Space stations vary widely in size and cost. Most spin so that centrifugal force will simulate gravity around the station's outer rim. It is not uncommon for a station to have a population of several thousand more or less permanent residents.  Space stations are used as docking centers for all other types of spaceships. Starships and large system ships cannot land on planets, so they transfer cargo and passengers while docked at space stations. Shuttles are used to transport goods and passengers between the station and the planet's surface. Larger stations carry targe quantities of supplies that are loaded onto ships as they are needed. The docking bay of a space station is located at the "hub" of the circle. There is no centrifugal force, and hence no gravity, in the docking bay, so ships can gently connect to the ports leading to the interior of the station. The "spokes" of the circle usually contain elevator shafts which ferry individuals and goods to the station rim. As the elevators travel toward the rim, the feeling of gravity inside the elevator increases until, at the rim, it is the equivalent of about 1 g.

Commerce Centers:  The rim of a commerce station contains all of the stores, restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, theatres and other businesses common in a bustling city. The rim is divided into several decks. The upper decks - those closest to the hub - contain living quarters similar to apartments and hotel rooms, where characters can stay during a visit to the station. Above the lodging decks are the administrative offices of the station.  Larger stations store many supplies that are loaded onto spaceships as they are purchased. The supply storage area usually is near the hub, where large, massive objects and crates can be moved easily through the low gravity.

Military Bases:  Military stations are organized about the same as other stations, with a docking bay in the center and recreational facilities along the rims. The docking bays are often very large, however, and missile launchers and weapon batteries are mounted along the rim for defense.

Specialized Stations:  Some space stations are designed solely to be centers for spaceship construction, as research laboratories or as areas for food production.  More details on these special purposes are given later in these rules, in the section on Optional Spaceship Equipment.

SPACE STATION DESIGNS

Station Type

Ship Types

1

1-6

2

1-10

3

1-14

4

1-18

5

any

6

any

Space station hulls are ring-shaped, with a dock for spaceships at the center of the ring. Stations vary from 200 to 1,200 meters in diameter. The various hull sizes are rated from 1 to 6 (the scale used to rate space stations is different from that for starships). A station's diameter equals its hull size x200 meters.  Space stations usually serve as bases for spaceship operations and as links for space-planetary communications and travel. At major starship airdocks and military bases, as many as six or eight Type 6 stations may be linked in a line, but these orbiting giants are rare. The types of ships that can be docked at various stations are listed below.

Not all space stations fit the descriptions above. Such stations are designed and built to serve a specific purpose, and are not equipped to serve as bases for spaceships. Space stations can be used for agriculture, scientific research and planetary defense. Stations designed for planetary defense are designated "fortresses," and can serve as bases for military ships. A fortress may even have a small complement of fighters that can be launched and re-armed there.

Space Stations

Space stations come in four main categories: fortresses, fortified stations, armed stations, and unarmed stations. The last title is something of a misnomer, as even the smallest freight station is likely to have a laser battery to discourage piracy.

Military stations fall in the fortress and fortified-station categories, while megacorporation have only a few fortified stations and many armed ones. "Free" stations not belonging to any one group or cartel are usually armed, though a few fortified and unarmed stations can be found. Small freight stations, scientific stations, and automated stations are usually unarmed.

Space-station weaponry and defenses are mounted in exactly the same way as they are on starships, with two differences: No forward-firing weaponry may be mounted, and MHS restrictions are ignored with respect to the maximum number of one weapon type mountable.

The statistics given in Table 6 refer to a single space-station hull of a given size. It should be remembered that more than one hull may be joined to create megastations, as per page 8 of the Knight Hawks rule book, though such huge stations are prohibitively expensive for all but the military and megacorporations of the largest size.

 

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