The
Quick 'n' Dirty Guide
to
Starports in 2300 AD

Starports are pretty-much alike.  They have two major components, Skyside, and Dirtside.  Skyside is where all bulk-freighters and other non-atmospheric-capable ships'll dock.  Dirtside is where the others, plus interface craft, will go ( assuming there's space).

Once 'in port', you can expect to see a hive of activity on the larger ports.  Refueling vehicles to-ing and fro-ing, supply trucks, passenger transporters from terminals to interface shuttles, security patrols, baggage handlers lobbing suitcases from conveyor belts to waiting baggage trains, and so on.

In the terminal buildings, passengers moving everywhere, shopping arcades, skycops and porters, information booths, Bureau d'change by the dozen, bars, exchanges, and so on.  Even in smaller ports, there'll always be at least a refueling point, customs & Excise, and a few bars to go around.  Just think of every starport you've ever seen in a science-fiction film, and multiply the facilities beyond your wildest imagination.  Think LAX or LGW on a REALLY bad day!

Facility Grades

Whatever the installation type, the US FAA, European CAA, and other international bodies, have signed the Interplanetary Aerospace Flight Agreement ( IAFA), which dictates what facilities a starport must offer.

These facilities are graded into four types, based upon planetary population.  The gradings denote certain mandatory facilities will be present at each port, based on it's grading.

The listing is in the Stellar Navigators' Blue Book, published annually by the International Standards Organisation ( ISO) in Switzerland , and distributed by each authority.  The ports are listed below, as at the 2303 AD edition.

    World           Population        Port type    Facilities required
    Earth           5,380,000,000     1            All
    Tirane          1,053,418,000     1            "
    Nibelungen         85,000,000     2            1-23
    Beta Canum         45,474,000     2            "
    Beowulf            40,900,000     2            "
    Daikoku            14,000,000     2            "
    Nous Voila         12,000,000     2            "
    Aurore             10,307,000     2            "
    Joi                 9,751,000     3            3-5, 7-9, 10-12, 14-23
    Cold Mntn           9,600,000     3            "
    Adlerhorst          7,333,000     3            "
    King                7,300,000     3            "
    Kimanjano           7,045,000     3            "
    Chengdu             5,500,000     3            "
    Syuhlahm            4,700,000     3            "
    Hochbaden           4,127,000     3            "
    Ellis               3,500,000     3            "
    Heidelshemat        3,105,000     3            "
    Hermes              2,000,000     4            6, 10, 11, 18, 20-23
    Botany Bay          1,900,000     4            "
    Austin's World      1,690,000     4            "
    Montana             1,650,000     4            "
    Crate               1,557,000     4            "
    Dunkelheim          1,493,000     4            "
    Kingsland           1,100,000     4            "
    Doris                 350,000     4            "
    Paulo                 350,000     4            "
    Dukou                 217,000     4            "
    Kie-Yuma              150,000     4            "

Requirements of port types.

    Facility
    number    Description of facility

    1         'Drydock' facility.
    2         Stutterwarp Ship Construction.
    3         Non stutterwarp Ship Construction.
    4         Stutterwarp Ship repair ( Includes MHD turbine repairs).
    5         Non stutterwarp Ship repair ( Includes MHD turbine repairs).
    6         Non stutterwarp Ship repair ( Does NOT include MHD turbine repairs).
    7         Ship design specialists ( Naval Architects).
    8         Fuel processing for all types of fuel, radioactive and non-radioactive.
    9         Fuel supply of all types.
    10        Fuel supply of all types EXCEPT radioactives.
    11        Ships umbilical facilities, including, but not limited to, Power, Water,
              fuel, waste disposal, comms linkage, entertainments and local/global
              newsfeeds feeds.
    12        Non-pressure suit access to and from the port and the ship
              ( via Airlock) for passengers.
    13        Hired, rented, or courtesy fascilities for inter-port transit
              of crew and/or passengers.
    14        Dock security staff.
    15        Proven quality Ships Maintenance crews for local hire ( employed
              on behalf of port authority).
    16        Cargo handling machinery, with, if required, trained staff to operate.
    17        Insurance brokerages.
    18        Ships chandlers facilities.
    19        FAA/CAA ( or equivalent) representation.
    20        Port Authority Police with Extraterritorial ( port ONLY) powers
              ( Can be security troops).
    21        Customs and Excise post, manned at least 50% of the local
              rotation time.
    22        Bonded warehousing.
    23        Non-bonded warehousing.
    24        Accessible transit links to the nearest major city, if the port
              is seperate from it by more then 500 metres.

Many frontier posts do not qualify as Starports.  These fall into the bracket of 'frontier installations', and are outside the IAFA regulations.  Most are equipped with orbital beacons/comms relay satellites, and a limitted supply of ships supplies; some may even have some fuel, but none are required to possess anything except a tranciever capable of ground to orbit two-way communications.

Hopefully, this will have given you a few ideas as to what to expect to see at a starport in 2300 AD.  Let me know if it's deficient, or of any glaring errors!

Roger Stenning,
London, 1996