Class A Starport
Every system has a port classification grade (A to E, and X) to the starport available in the system. This grade assigned to the port encompasses the services available in the port. A Class A Starport is an excellent quality installation which includes all the expected amenities including refined fuel for starships, brokerage services for passengers and cargo, and a variety of ship provisions. There is a shipyard capable of doing annual maintenance, overhauls and other kinds of repair, and construction of both starships and non-starships. Most ports of this classification have both a Highport and a Downport.
It is a Class V facility on the Jackson Scale.
Facilities
The number, and in some cases the quality, of the facilities and services depends on the size of the port. For medium or larger ports, all of these services will be available, for small or tiny ports, the facilities will be available but on a best-case availability.
- Orbital Station
An orbital component is nearly a given, with ground-to-orbit shuttle service. There are also some number of tugs for moving things around in orbit, light repair duty, and other utilitarian purposes.
- Traffic Control
Traffic control around class A ports is active, having communications out into the advisory zone, covering the whole of the system. There is a system wide communications and navigation system. Ships should expect communications regarding course plots soon after jump emergence.
- Landing Strips
Worlds with significant atmospheres have landing strips for airframe hulls. A spaceplane-style landing saves maneuver fuel.
- Parkbays
These are protected berths for starships landing at the starport. They provide a measure of security above and beyond simply sitting on the tarmac, and also provide adjacent living space for any crew posted as guards. Each parkbay typically holds a number of ships. Typically, a newly-landed ship is set on a cradle on the starport maglev system, which then brings it into its assigned parkbay.
- Ship Services
There are extensive ship service facilities, including multiple covered docking facilities (such as the parkbays mentioned above). There will be refined fuel available for ships, produced by ship performing gas giant skimming, ice asteroid mining, or using the world's oceans as source of raw fuel.
There are warehouse facilities for cargo of all types, including hazardous or special handling materials. The port crews are trained to manage these materials safely. There are brokerage services available to manage buying and selling speculative cargo. The customs department will manage the paperwork for getting cargo into and out of the port.
There are extensive shipyard facilities capable of handling starships and performing any kind of repair or upgrade required. The shipyard is also used to construct new ships of various sizes.
- Passenger services
For passengers there will be an extensive concourse with shops, restaurants, and other hospitality services available. There will be hotels within the port for passengers still in transit. The port connects to local transportation grid for travel to and from the port. There are regular shuttle services from highport to downport. All but the smallest ports have Travellers' Aid Society offices with full services.
- Emergency services
The port itself contains a crash, fire, and rescue (CFR) services capable of covering the whole port. There is a trained search and rescue (SAR) service with ships capable of covering the whole system. The port itself contains a hospital staffed with trained medical people.
Image Repository
- Starport-A
- Starport-A-NB
- Starport-A-SB
- Starport-A-SB-Igakuda-Down (Plain)
- Starport-A-SB-Igakuda-Down (Annotated)
See also
Starport facilites
- Starport Types
- Facilities
- Services
References
- Marc Miller. Worlds and Adventures (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), 1,9,10.
- S. L. A. McIntyre. "Port Facilities". White Dwarf 22 (Dec/Jan 1981), 22
- Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches (Game Designers Workshop, 1979), 36.
- John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Library Data (N-Z) (Game Designers Workshop, 1982), 23.
- Marc Miller. Scouts (Game Designers Workshop, 1983), 28.
- Thomas M. Price. "Happy Landings: Starport Design in Traveller" White Dwarf 43 (July 1983), 26-28
- Marc Miller. Referee's Manual (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 19,22,25.
- Terrance McInnes. COACC (Game Designers Workshop, 1989), 74-81.
- Dale L. Kemper. "The Compleat Starport." Far & Away 01 (1990): 20-25.
- J. Andrew Keith. "The Compleat Starport Supplementary Material For Megatraveller." Starships, Starports & Vehicles Vol. 1 No. 3 (October 1990), 1-5
- Kevin Knight. "House Rules." Traveller Chronicle 04 (1994): 28-37.
- J. Andrew Keith. Starport Planetfall (Cargonaut Press, 1998), 9-10.
- Carl Warmsley. Starports (Mongoose Publishing, 2011), 42-65.
- John Watts, Tony Hicks. 21 Starport Places (Gypsy Knights Games, 2013), 7-75.
- Martin Dougherty. Going Portside (Mongoose Publishing, 2016), 6-18.
- Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Starships (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 22-29.
- Marc Miller, Robert Eaglestone, Don McKinney. Worlds and Adventures (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), 24.