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Red Satellite Drive Yards
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Red Satellite Drive Yards (RSDY) is an aerospace shipbuilding company from Earth which its history can be dated back to the great space race in the Old Earth Era. It is well known for its pragmatic design principles, reflected by a series of products with time-tested reliability and durability. It's products are widely utilized for civilian purposes as well as military duties, even some of their old products are still seen under service nowadays. The Galactic Freight Hauler series is the pinnacle of their ship designs, which they have been mass produced in tens and even hundred every year, serving as backbones of many logistics fleets in United Earth.
Origins
It was an aerospace engineering institute established by Red Satellite Treaty Union, specially for specialists from member countries design and construct the spacecrafts for space colonization projects, providing the Union with large scale colonization fleets for the rivalry in the late Old Earth era space race. Its operations started form Tula, where it was first headquartered in 2032, later its aerospace facilities are also established in other member countries.
Old Earth Space Race
As soon as it was established, various research had been carried out, developing the next generation aerospace vehicles for RSTU to catch up the newest technological development of the time. Several researches involved the rumored reverse-engineering of Jameson Hyperdrive Engine that provided RSTU the Tokarev Engine.
After several failed tests and redesigning, the first successful long range spacecraft of Red Satellite Drive Yards, Object-089 (Also known as "Siberian" Shuttle) was born in 2033.
Later when China officially joined the Red Satellite Treaty Union, the Yards received a large addition of Chinese specialists. In less than an year, the first mass production models of spacecraft for the space race, the Xingzhou Class and Kiev Class long range colony/freighter spacecrafts, entered production stage in 2034. These spacecrafts (and its variants & improved models) formed the colonization fleet of the RSTU.
In the same year (2034), RSTU bought down and took over the Lunar-44 Dockyards with their financial might, and this was another important shipyard of the Red Satellite Drive Yards, which was their only major shipyard outside Earth during the Old Earth era.
As the space race progress further, that the geopolitical situations in Solar System became very intense, RSTU ordered the Yards to design a ship to protect the orbits and airspace of their colonies (and take down rival trespassers). Despite some controversies, the Nakovalnya Class Orbital Interceptor Corvette was designed and put into service in 2038. The corvette was vastly deployed in the RSTU colony airspace, which the rivals became suspicious about RSTU was planning to build a war fleet take over their colonies by force, and the Corvette gained the nickname of "Russia's space T-34".
As sabotages from rivals becomes more frequent, it also increase the need for establishing effective communication and intel network for enforcing tighter security control on RSTU colonies. In the earlier year of 2035 the KR Long Range Communications Relay Satellites were also developed by the Yards to meet the demands.
At the end of the Old Earth era, due to the Great Crisis, RSTU was dissolved in 2049, and the Yards was also temporarily disbanded at the same time, which this lasted until 2054.
United Earth Era
During the Earth Reunification War, the remnant engineers of the Yards once worked in harsh labor camps of Siberian warlords. These engineers were later liberated by United Earth Movement (predecessor of United Earth government) at the end Asia campaign in 2054, and the Red Satellite Drive Yards were back into business after the assets in Tula headquarters had been retrieved by the engineers.
The Drive Yards did not receive any major aerospace engineering projects, until United Earth began preparations for reinitializing the space colonization projects, looking for newer model of vessels for colonization fleets. In a public competition for utility transport vessels Red Satellite Drive Yard's design was adopted, which the vessel is the Maximburg Class Medium Freighter/Lander Carrier that formed the early United Earth logistic and colony supply fleets. Its later highly modifiable variants were also widely utilized by civilians for various economic purposes.
In 2059, Red Satellite Yards received a direct order from United Earth government, required to design a long range, versatile heavy duty freighter ship with massive capacity, for running future supply lines between outer space colonies. It was a big challenge for the Yards at the time, due to there was no ship of similar size had been built by anyone in the past, a number of technological barriers and engineering challenges were met. With several years of research achieving engineering breakthrough and many lab incidents during tests, the first model of the Galactic Freight Hauler was successfully developed in the late 2063, became the largest ship flying under of United Earth of the time. It entered mass production stage in 2064 from their new shipyard in New Petergard, entering service in the same year.
In 2060, the Yards acquired land use patent for new major shipyards in colony of Zijing and New Petergard, both shipyards began construction in the same time.
In 2063, Zijing Shipyard finished construction and begin operate in the same year.
In the later months same year, under the strong business pressure from predatory Corporate Industries, Red Satellite Drive Yards sold their Lunar-44 Dockyards to Corporate Industries under unfavorable terms, losing their major production facility that was planned for mass production of the Galactic Freight Hauler.
In 2064, The main complex of the New Petergard Orbital Shipyards finished construction. The Red Satellite Drive Yards transferred their headquarters to New Petergard afterwards, sold their old facility on Earth at the same time. The New Petergard Orbital Shipyard is the major production facility for the Galactic Freight Hauler series (and its associated spare components), and it was one of the largest shipyards of United Earth.
In 2066, the expansion for New Petergard Orbital Shipyards was completed. This headquarter shipyard began operating at full capacity for building aerospace vessels developed by Red Satellite Drive Yards.
Major Products
Galactic Freight Hauler (long range freighter ship) series (2064-)
The pinnacle of their down-to-earth designs, the Galactic Freight Hauler series can definitely represent the quality engineering Red Satellite Drive Yards. For many years it flies in many supply lines and trade routes of United Earth, and are barely replaced by anything else form other aerospace shipbuilding corporations. Each of these ships has very long life expectancy of 50 years, even without frequent maintenance.
Earliest model has 780-ton capacity.
The current standard model is the 900-ton capacity freighter.
A heavier variant with 875-ton capacity, armed with military grade weapons, are built for military purpose and escorting dangerous cargo.
Nakovalnya Class Orbital Interceptor Corvette (2038-2045)
An old model of corvette built in the Old Earth era, when Red Satellite Drive Yards is still part of Red Satellite Treaty Union, also known as the notorious "Russia's Space T-34". Its purpose is to intercept unauthorized vessels "trespassing" RSTU colony airspace, and are often armed with military grade autocannons. They were deployed in large numbers in RSTU colonies and locations with geopolitical conflicts.
Its production was terminated in 2045 as RSTU was dissolved under the Great Crisis, however, many of these corvettes are still used by some ex-RSTU colonies for self defense nowadays.
Kiev Class Long Range Passenger/Freighter Ship series (2034-2057)
The Kiev Class was the backbone multirole transport vessel in RSTU fleets, and was one of the oldest ships from Red Satellite Drive Yards.
Later in early days of United Earth it have seen limited service, mainly repurposed as repair vessels for fixing the satellites and space elevator platforms in Earth orbit. They are later decommissioned as the newer model is available.
Xingzhou Class Long Range Passenger/Freighter Ship series (2034-2057)
Pretty much similar to Kiev Class in terms of general layout, but cannot be said as a direct variant of the Kiev Class. It was a variant by Chinese specialists of the time, compared to Kiev Class, it is more dedicated to transport passengers and life supplies. Was decommissioned at the same time as Kiev Class.
Maximburg Class Medium Freighter/Lander Carrier series (2058-2067)
The ship that replaced the Kiev Class and the Xingzhou Class in terms of bulk logistics purpose, and was one of the major vessels (Along with Shuttlepod MK1) participated in early United Earth space programs. Compared to its predecessors it was designed in more versatile manner, which, especially its later models, can be modified and repurposed easily for other needs, ranging from transporting landers and making supply runs, to satellite repairs and asteroid mining operations.
Its production was terminated in 2067 as the more advanced Phobos Class Modular Transport from Martian Industries rendered it obsolete, and the Yards decided to focus on improving their best sale GF Hauler series.