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Space ports

2.7K views 31 replies 9 participants last post by  Tawa  
#1 ·
So, since reading through this thread

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=123488

the talk about maintaining geosynchronous orbit and the complications of resupply from space are very interesting, and put a somewhat different question to me.

How do Imperial spaceports function?

GW has the Skyshield landing pad for atmospheric craft and landers, but what about bigger craft?

What do you think Heresy? Is it space elevators and moon bases or orbital platforms and rocket pads?
 
#3 ·
Absolutely agree with the big galaxy comment. I think I remember reading a ciaphus cain or gaunt's ghosts where the chaos element infiltrates through a space elevator though. I wonder if space elevators are used on agri worlds, prometheum farms and other bulk cargo scenarios, where as orbital platforms are used to house, resupply and build capitol ships?

How do you think people get onto the orbital platforms? Rich people I assume would have private craft capable of breaking orbit, but for the peons, would there be car pools? I super fast, lightweight monorail and globe-spanning, orbit mapping rail system to ferry them up into space? Or typical imperial style - breed new peons from the original peons left on the platform once it was built?
 
#4 ·
If I remember, in Sabbat Martyr Corbec and his crew come riding down their landers into a fire fight. He mentioned being stuck up in an orbital dock for the last 24 hours or something (it's been some years).

In the latest Cain book, the Tau are assaulting a human world and in an act of desperation, a SDF ship rams an orbital dock to slow down the Tau's ability to ferry down supplies.

How do you think people get onto the orbital platforms?
As you said, the rich would be able to afford get up one way or another--either their own private vehicle or buying a seat.

The "middle class" and below (which make up the majority of citizens) would likely either have to go up as part of their work or smuggle themselves aboard. Going out into space isn't all that common for the masses.

This of course all depends on individual planets, their technology level, level of economic equality, personal freedom, ect. I can only paint broad strokes.

Or typical imperial style - breed new peons from the original peons left on the platform once it was built?
I don't this has to be the case. I would assume that with frequent travel, they'd be able to shuffle the people around more. Plus they might pick up (and lose) people when ships dock. There's enough opportunity for people to leave and come.

Then again it depends on the world it orbits and what kind of and how often ships arrive. A feral world isn't likely to have very many people seeking employment. A Mechanicus vessel is unlikely to have a lot of people leaving, either.
 
#5 ·
As to the how do they function as the others answered the other questions. I've always imagined basically a huge port setup but in space and with a majority of it being I closed, what I mean is bacially a latice work of points jutting of a central hub (proably where that space elevator is located) with slots of the ships to dock with large ammounts of airlocks which join to the sides of the ships.
 
#6 ·
The off world transport varies depending on world/tech. The least civilized worlds would be little to none.
In Lord of Night


Iron within? or Iron Storm, it was about Iron warriors attacking
(can't find the book, must of packed it away somewhere when I ran out of shelf)


HH short story


Sooo
Starports, can be anything like an airport or an airbase.

Space elevators ,I believe in the HH story it was only used for transporting cargo.
 
#7 ·
Battman, I want to see a battlefield set up like that.

Hailene, regarding the tau ferrying down supplies, do you think they were using the dock as a staging point or stealing human commercial goods? - I obviously have not read this book... yet.

Locustgate... thanks, it's always excellent to have sources with a canonical fluff.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I'm surprised no one has mentioned teleportation which I would have thought to be the most economical method of transport.

The Salamanders novels mention several instances where people and equipment are transferred from orbit to the surface via fix teleporters and having a fixed start and end point which would make them considerably more reliable and accurate than the combat insertion type.

"GW has the Skyshield landing pad for atmospheric craft and landers, but what about bigger craft?" don't forget that Skyshield allows for a no scatter teleport onto it so maybe it could be part of a Orbit to Surface Transport System.
 
#9 ·
The issue with teleportation is that for the Imperium at least, it necessitates the use of the warp. It's an inherently dangerous process and usually a last resort or emergency. Not to mention it's one of the technologies least understood by the Mechanicus.

@Iraqiel. Know No Fear gives a good depiction of advanced, orbital infrastructure. Calth posses vast orbital shipyards and docks, space stations, and was planing to build 'superorbital plates'.
 
#13 ·
It seems to me that it's highly likely that rich, Space Marine sponsored worlds could quite possibly use teleportation for some. They'd have the pick of the astropaths, are practiced at teleporting terminators and other space marines (Which are more biologically complex than normal humans) and infrastructure to support it. Perhaps those skyshields have an enhancement that lets them receive the golden beacon more easily?

Similarly, major forge worlds or sector commercial hubs likely have very well developed near space or orbital infrastructure, like Calth. I didn't really consider it due to the destruction of the imperium during the HH, but there must have been hundreds of fleet bases established since, though perhaps not on the scale or with the capacity to house an entire space marine legion and fleet.
 
#14 ·
It does depend on the size of the planet, the resources it imports and exports and how close it is to the galactic trade routes. You could do a comparison to things like a regional airport, an international airport and a military airbase.

You might have orbital dockyards for large ships to transfer supplies to before smaller ships transport them to the surface. But you may also have to achieve the same without the aid of the dockyard. Undoubtedly, there are landing areas for the smaller craft on the planet.

Teleportation is an option but it does not seem to be very popular for living cargo. But large amounts of raw materials can be moved quite easily this way.

The Forge World Shenlong seemed to rely exclusively on the the transport craft to ferry weapons from the planet to awaiting ships in orbit. From my understanding in Deus Sanguinius, Shenlong was important enough to warrant defense by an incredible minefiled but not important enough for orbital dockyards or the like.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Ok well I had about 3 paragraphs of well thought out reasons to choose landers of teleporters, but I lost connection and all those paragraphs. So let me just say this quickly.

Which would you choose:

Shuttles/landers:
Relatively safe
Common
Cheap
Relatively Accurate.

Teleporters:
Prone to mishaps
Rare
Expensive
Ranges from pinpoint accurate to off by miles.

Most would always pick the safer/cheaper methods when it comes to commerce.
 
#21 ·
What's to say they aren't the goofs ?
 
#22 ·
So, in summary - it's likely that the main space ports in the imperium are orbital platforms or super-orbital docks. Space elevators are used by some planets, but mostly as a cargo only mode of transport.

Transit to and from these docks is usually by shuttle or lander, occasionally also by teleporter. The pdf probably defends them, and they probably are the pickup point for imperial tithes... do you think that would justify a permanent adeptus arbites presence?
 
#23 ·
The pdf probably defends them, and they probably are the pickup point for imperial tithes... do you think that would justify a permanent adeptus arbites presence?
Not sure the AA are there to secure the tithe, but rather jump on who ever doesn't pay up !
 
#25 ·
I've always imagined there would be (maybe in part of larger installations) areas almost like modern airports and container ports. Obviously this would only be of use to relatively "small" shuttles and transports, and it would probably be a way of ferrying people/material to/from orbit, but it's a pretty strong image in my brain.

Thoughts?
 
#30 ·
Depending on how rich the planet is, I can see the ruling classes opting to teleport not withstanding the dangers in order to demonstrate their power. The Astropaths are a form of nobility themselves in fluff, after all.

However, Tawa I'm thinking that the mass labourer's transports would be uncomfortable to say the least! Any rich lounge would likely be private enough, smaller, and better organised. The poor... streaming in to bare metal and functional buildings, stained with years of use and abuse by thousands of transiting passengers.
 
#32 ·
However, Tawa I'm thinking that the mass labourer's transports would be uncomfortable to say the least! Any rich lounge would likely be private enough, smaller, and better organised. The poor... streaming in to bare metal and functional buildings, stained with years of use and abuse by thousands of transiting passengers.
Doesn't sound all that futuristic when it's put like that does it? :laugh: