Approved Starship Costa-class Space Dock

Ingenium · Oct 4, 2020

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: To create a cost-effective space dock that can serve as the mainstay for Federal Cooperative shipbuilding activities.
Image Source: Shaun Williams
Canon Link: Not Applicable
Permissions:
- Iron Crown Enterprises [ Open Market ] - Point Defense Pressors
- Lucerne Labs [ Closed-Market - Permission ] - Aura-class Tractor/Pressor Beam Projector
Primary Source: Not Applicable

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Manufacturer: Federal Cooperative - [ Built in Deep Space Shipyards ]
Affiliation: Open-Market
Model: Costa-class Space Dock
Production: Mass-Production
Material:
- Alusteel Truss – "The Ribs"
- Crew Station – "The Porthouse"
  - Alusteel Hull
  - Alusteel Bulkheads
  - Durasteel Blastdoors
  - Agrinium Interior Paneling
  - Intellego Viewports
- Power Station – "The Clanker"
  - Alusteel Hull
  - Alusteel Bulkheads
  - Durasteel Blastdoors
  - Agrinium Interior Paneling
  - Intellego Viewports

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Classification: Space Dock
Length: 3,000 meters
Width: 1,000 meters
Height: 750 meters
Armament: None
Defenses: Very Low
- Atmospheric Friction Shield
- Deflector Shields
- 16 x Point Defense Pressors - [ Anti-Ballistics and Asteroids ]
Hangar Space:
- Crew Station Hangar - [ Designed for Corvettes and Below ]
- Power Station Hangar - [ Designed for Small Craft ]
Maneuverability Rating: Very Low
Speed Rating: None
- The Costa-class Space Dock needs to towed with grappling mags or other forms of assistive technology to be relocated.
Hyperdrive: No
Hyperdrive Class: Not Applicable

STANDARD FEATURES

Crew Station and Power Station
- Life Support System
- Damage Control and Hazard System
- Communication System
- Hyperwave Transceiver
- Distress Beacon
- Signal Receiver
- Magnetic Clamps
- Location Scramblers - [ Tracing Countermeasure ]
Power Station
Truss
- 32 x Grappling Mags
- 64 x Position Stabilizing Boosters
- 8 x Magnet Cranes

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

2 x Aura-class Beam Projectors

STRENGTHS

Construction Capacity — Using the Aura-class Beam Projectors , the dock workers are able to move the superstructure of the vessel they're working on along the truss of the space dock. This allows the shipbuilders to work on ships that allow them to build ships as large as 4,000 meters in length, and 900 meters in width, and 600 meters in height.
Fabrication Capacity — Installed in the power station are a set of synthicators and a powerful molecular furnace which allows the dock workers to fabricate structural materials and rudimentary parts on-site.

WEAKNESSES

Unarmored — The Costa-class Space Dock was made from alusteel, a material that can't withstand direct fire, and lacks any form of armor plating.
Small-Scale Pressors — These defensive emplacements are effective at repelling small asteroids and even some forms of ordnance like missiles. However, these pressors are unable to deal with anything a hundred meters or larger. When these space docks are located near asteroid belts, where those hunks of rock can easily reach kilometers, this can be problematic.
Stationary — Unlike many contemporary dry dock models, the Costa-class Space Dock was not equipped with a hyperdrive unit or even sublight engines. Instead these facilities need to be physically tugged to be relocated.

DESCRIPTION

The history of the Costa-class Space Dock is largely unknown. It was designed sometime between 540 and 598 ABY. It entered into production around the onset of the Gulag Plague. This design indicates the Federal Cooperative designers wanted to create a space dock that was cost effective and could be stationed in orbit of a planet. The onset of the Gulag Plague though both decreased overall demand for new ships, and more importantly, increased demand for deep space shipyards. Due to the fact the Costa-class needed to be tugged from location to location, it didn't take off, largely being relegated to in-house production for the Federal Cooperative.