Spaceports

[Blue Ghost]

In Traveller spaceports, from what I recall, are off world lunar ports, or ports on other worlds within a system that don't do starship service, but are capable of landing starships.

Why aren't there more writeups about spaceports?

Thoughts?

 

[Enoki]

My view is that spaceports are more like regional airports while starports are more like international airports. Spaceports don't normally service starships simply because these rarely operate out of them, at least in a major star system.
In that sort of system, I'd think landing a starship from out of the system directly into a spaceport would be forbidden for customs and immigration reasons. You have to go to the starport-- at least if you're a legitimate ship operator. That would make going to a spaceport kind of pointless in such a system. The smaller, local, non-jump ships could handle movements to the spaceports.

 

[tjoneslo]

On Imperial worlds, the Starport is Imperial territory, ceded by the world to foster trade to other worlds. Spaceports are for the ships within the system to use. They won't have the customs setup to handle an external ship.

If you are dealing with a low law level system, or one with an E or D port, it may not matter that much. A few bribes, a little official paperwork, "sorry, we'll never do that again" and you're all good.

As the law level increases, the customs rules get tighter and everyone gets more upset about you not going to the officially designated port. There are a whole bunch of rules around import controls and sovereign territory which you are invading.

In terms of how a Spaceport looks. Probably pretty much like a Starport, minus the Imperial XT line.

 

[Timerover51]

I would say that it depends on the planetary government and how it reacts. On a Balkanized planet, there would be only one nation with control of the territory surrounding the starport, and therefore it could keep a very close eye on what comes off of a ship. However, some of the other nations may have spaceports for in-system use, and may not mind a starship landing at their spaceport at all, depending on what it is carrying. If a load of slightly higher Tech Level weaponry or sensors, think microwave airborne intercept radar on a Tech Level 5 world, or low-frequency scanning sonar, or some nice electro-mechanical ballistic computers for tank gunnery or anti-aircraft fire control, or microwave fire control radars with them, and the nation might not be upset at all. Another possiblity would be a new variety of high-yielding or climate-tolerant grain that would make the spaceport nation much less dependent or independent of the starport nation's food imports, making it more able to tell the starport nation to butt out of its affairs. Or it could work the other way, with the nation with the spaceport having a good that has a value in interstellar commerce that they cannot fully profit from because of having to ship it and sell it through the nation with the starport.

Then when it comes to Class D and E, especially Class E, it basically is a moot point as to where the starship lands.

 

[Blue Ghost]

That's interesting. I'll have to whip out the rules and read up on spaceports. I'd either forgotten or did not know that they could not accommodate ACS starships--not even a type S.

Some interesting thoughts.

 

[kilemall]

I think of them more as handling ships akin to the US intercoastal waterway and rivers- bulk items, feeder to international ships, barge traffic, internal economics of resource feeds in from in the system and produced goods out.


As such more small craft and non-starships without the overhead or fuel costs of jump in most cases, and thus cheaper to build and operate.


There may be several subnodes of local activity that gets a spaceport each. To use our system say a couple in the asteroid belt, one at least at each at the inner planets, and still another subnode of activity at Jupiter and/or Saturn.


Don't forget my signature enviornment, the Oort Cloud. One would expect refueling spaceports for lower tech jump-1/2 levels, before being bypassed like so many Route 66 gas stations.

 

[Spenser TR]

On Imperial worlds, the Starport is Imperial territory, ceded by the world to foster trade to other worlds. Spaceports are for the ships within the system to use. They won't have the customs setup to handle an external ship.

This is my understanding as well. The main world in an Imperial system will have at least one starport - a port where inter-system traffic is accommodated - that port being Imperial territory either as a downport, highport, or both. There may indeed be other starports on the main world or somewhere else within the system. There may also be one or more spaceports, which handle intra-system traffic and are not ( typically? ) administered by the Imperium.

 

[tjoneslo]

That's interesting. I'll have to whip out the rules and read up on spaceports. I'd either forgotten or did not know that they could not accommodate ACS starships--not even a type S.

Some interesting thoughts.

You did not know that Spaceports could not accommodate starships because it's not actually stated anywhere. There is a reason that, for example, General Products building a massive ship building and repair facility in the belt would be classified as a "Spaceport". It has all the facilities of a Class-A Starport, but you can't go there. In theory under the terms of the Imperial emergency regulations you can try an land there. But they are perfectly free to impound your ship, strip it for parts and scrap, and make you sign long term indentured servitude employment contracts.

 

[mike wightman]

On Imperial worlds, the Starport is Imperial territory, ceded by the world to foster trade to other worlds.

This is mostly true but not universally true.
There are examples of starports owned by megacorporations, world governments etc.
It's a good rule of thumb though.

 

[mike wightman]

Actually spaceports can accommodate starships.

LBB6 Scouts:

Spaceport
The major traffic center in the system is the starport; all others are called spaceports. While it is possible for spaceports to accept starships they are called (if only for convenience, and for terminology) spaceports.

 

[aramis]

Actually spaceports can accommodate starships.

LBB6 Scouts:

Note also - use of that terminology is inconsistent; prior materials have potential for multiple.

Invasion Earth shows 3 starports.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I just say that starports are Imperium owned/run. Anything else is owned/run by the local government/corp.

 

[McPerth]

Note also - use of that terminology is inconsistent; prior materials have potential for multiple.

Invasion Earth shows 3 starports.

As for MT:WBH (page 74), each major city in a mainworld may have a starport as good as the one in the UWP, while minor cities can have lesser ones.

Also according to the same book, if TL is 5+ each primary, secondary and tertiary city has at least an H rated spaceport (I guess the airports can be soused, and that is what they are refering to), and if TL is 10+ each ssecondary city has st least an F rated spaceport.

Earth, in MT S&A has 3 primary cities, each with an A rated starport, 30 secondary cities with C rated ones and about 750 tertiary cities with G class spaceport

Kusyu has 5 major cities, 3 with A rated starports, 1 with a B rated one and the other with a C rated one. Its 22 secondary cities keep having C class ones, and the 79 tertirary ones G class spaceports.
According V&V, Vland has 2 major cities (A spaceports), 22 secondary ones (Spaceports F) and 105 tertiary ones (with spaceports H); while Lair has 4 major cities (one starport A, 2 Bs and 1 C), 16 secondary cities with F spaceports and 64 tertiary ones with H rated spaceports.

 

[mike wightman]

I just say that starports are Imperium owned/run. Anything else is owned/run by the local government/corp.

Trouble is that trope is so common a lot of people think it is an actual setting detail. which it isn't.
Ther are examples of starports owned by corporations, world governments and the like.

 

[McPerth]

I just say that starports are Imperium owned/run. Anything else is owned/run by the local government/corp.

And what about non-imperial systems?

 

[Timerover51]

And what about non-imperial systems?

At that point, the restriction on one starport per system pretty much goes out the window, as far as I am concerned. That would be especially true of an Asteroid Belt, or Balkanized Planet.

 

[Enoki]

At that point, the restriction on one starport per system pretty much goes out the window, as far as I am concerned. That would be especially true of an Asteroid Belt, or Balkanized Planet.

On this I absolutely agree. Maybe the rules should be more clear on non-Imperial systems and even on "Alien" races. Why should the Aslan or Vargr do things the way the Imperium does them?

 

[jcrocker]

In Aslan space, I'd expect more of a heirarchy. Aslan seem to like heirarchies, what with the 29 Clans etc.

I'd expect the leading clan on a world to designate one facility as the primary. Hi pop worlds could have several A ports of course.

If other clans had a presence, they could have ports too if they needed/wanted - they wouldn't be the main port of course.

I'd expect a lot less heirarchy in Vargr space of course. Maybe competing 'primary' ports on some worlds.

 

[mike wightman]

If there are several clans of similar status on a world you may well have a separate starport for each clan.

 

[Condottiere]

Terra was part of the Solomani Confederation.

Within in the Imperum, what distinguishes a starport is Imperium administration and extraterritoriality, and could actually have quite a number of facilities spread around the system, not just a landing pad dirtside and an orbiting spacestation.