Space Activities Coordination

[Ayzek]

Guidelines on Viable Projects

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The following guidelines apply to institutions which have submitted a Report or are an NPC. If you have not submitted a report, you require a third party to launch your satellites and may only explore space through cooperation with an institution that has.

Mundane Satellite Guidelines
Communication, intelligence, navigation, and scientific satellites may all be launched (reasonably) freely. The Directorate need not be involved, though you may query it for information or advice.

"Special" Satellite Guidelines
An Activities Submission is required if you're launching any kind of armed satellite, be it with an ABM/ASAT laser or missile, ground-targeting tungsten rods or missiles, or kinetic projectile gun/cannon. Do note that arming satellites with missiles is against in-game international law and is likely to have consequences. These satellites must:

• cost 200-600 million for the system itself;
  
• cost for launch via conventional rockets:
  • 100-250 million for a laser system
    
  • 90-180 million per 9 ton tungsten rod
    
• cost for launch via mass driver or SSTO vehicle:
  • 20-50 million for a laser system
    
  • 2-4 million per 9 tonne tungsten rod
    
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Armed Satellites Activities Submission][tr][td]State(s): <countries which own the thing>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Satellites: <type and amount>
Launches: # over # years, from <year> to <year>
Total cost: <total involved costs>
Estimated annual maintenance costs: 3-6% of total cost
[/td][/tr][/table]

Note: these do require explicit Directorate approval and if an Activities Report is not timely submitted, it may not be recognized in role play. Additionally, there is a maintenance cost for keeping these satellites up there--you not only need to keep track and communication with them, but must also occasionally boost them to keep them on planned orbit as satellites experience orbit decay. Whether this boost is done by on-board systems or via an external powered vehicle (eg., an orbiter) isn't too important...though the latter probably costs more given you're launching a vehicle.

Siora-orbiting Space Station Guidelines
An Activities Report is required to construct a space station in orbit of Siora; explicit Approval is not. Constructing a space station should:

• cost 300-1,500 million per module,
  
• cost 1-2 billion per launch if using conventional rockets or 200-600 million if using a mass driver or SSTO vehicle,
  
• cost 2-4 billion in institution support per mission,
  
• take place over multiple years, and
  
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Space Station Activities Report][tr][td]Institution: <name of agency>
State(s): <countries involve/controlling the agency>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Space Station name:
Space Station cost: <total estimate>
Space Station lifetime: <year-year>
Space Station purpose: <a few sentences on why this is a thing>
Additions: <is there anything extra you wanna tell us about your pretty?>
[/td][/tr][/table]

Lun Exploration Guidelines
An Activities Report is required to visit or land a rover on Lun (Siora's moon). Establishing a long-term presence on the moon is currently unavailable. A moon landing, manned or unmanned, should:

• cost 1-2 billion per launch if using conventional rockets or 200-600 million if using a mass driver or SSTO vehicle,
  
• cost 2-5 billion in institution support per mission,
  
• be the result of a multi-mission incremental program,
  
• have a purpose aside from "LOLLOOKATMEIMONTHEFUCKINGMOON", and
  
• use the following Activities Report:
  

Code:

[table=Lun Program Activities Report][tr][td]Institution: <name of agency>
State(s): <countries involved/controlling the agency>
National GDP:
National Population:
National GDP per capita:

Program name:
Program cost: <total of all missions>
Program length: <year-year>
Program missions: <how many missions?>
Program details: <a few sentences on what's going on, including what's being conducted, and whether the landings are manned or not>
[/td][/tr][/table]

As mentioned in the bullet points above, you can't just say "hurdurhurdurI'malandonthemunhurhur", and fly to Lun on the first mission. You first need to test your toys, and then invade. This is less important if your program is set in the modern-day, but if it's taking place in the infancy of space exploration...things went wrong more often.

Regarding why you'd go to the moon aside from prestige: science. You go for science. Grab rocks, pick up a space virus or three. Look for anything cool. Sciencey stuff.

As for the costs: the US's Apollo program cost over 130 billion modern-day dollars over 20 missions (needless to say, not all of these missions were moon landings), and that is the basis for the estimates up there. Of course, you don't have to execute 20 missions, hence the "averaged" costs per mission.

Solar-bodies Exploration Guidelines
Currently unavailable. #TrollFace