Transportation Node and Port Serving Companies Doing Business in Space
Columbiat will seek to capitalise on the budding interest in commercial enterprise in near-Earth space through an increased focus on transportation facilities, which will enable a wider range of companies to expand their potential enterprises in space. We intend for Columbiat to serve as a vital intersection between space settlements, and as a result [] has been allocated as cargo bays for incoming vessels.
Approximately a half of the allocated space, named the Commercial Area(CA), will be designated for CASSSCs and freighters, and this space will be directly connected to a separate area, the Secondary Commercial Area(SCA), designated for Small Cargo Ship(SCS)s, which occupies a quarter of the space. This allows resources to easily and efficiently be transferred from the CASSSCs to the SCSs, and vice versa. This is crucial for companies needing to break up bulk loads of a specific good and distribute it to a variety of external points of interest in space. For example, a company distributing electronic circuits may send a CASSSC to Columbiat, where its shipment will be split up and packaged for a collection of SCSs, which can then deliver the circuits to multiple space settlements at a time.
Both the CA and SCA will be divided into distinct areas of subdivision based on the materials and cargo that their respective spacecraft will contain:
CA-O/SCA-O: Commercial Area Organic/Secondary Commercial Area Organic. This is for vessels delivering and collecting organic material, such as food, plants, biodiesel, etc. The organic section will also be divided into another segment:
CA-O-S/SCA-O-S: Commercial Area Organic Settlement/Secondary Commercial Area Organic Settlement. This is solely for the supplying and distribution of organic matter requires or outputted by Columbiat. For example, food may be imported via this area from Earth, while human waste may be shipped back to Earth.
CA-C/SCA-C: Commercial Area Commodity/Secondary Commercial Area Commodity. This is for cargo ships
Although we will recommend companies to own and operate both CASSSCs and SCSs required for their commercial operations, Columbiat will designate around an eighth of the available docking space, names the Settlement Docking Area(SDA), to equal amounts of CASSSCs and SCSs owned by the settlement. This makes it easier for small businesses to get access to the heavily undercapitalised resources of space, and creates a consistent source of income for the settlement. Additionally, a fleet of 20 Columbiat-operated support ships shall also be docked within this space, capable of quickly departing the settlement to conduct emergency rescue and/or repair operations. These ships will contain stocks of fuel, repair equipment/resources and be able to tug/tow other spacecrafts.
This leaves an eighth of space for civilian transportation, which includes:
Tourist transportation
Facility staff transportation
Small-scale cargo transportation, i.e., for transferring the personal items of facility staff
Given the reasonably large amount of docking space provided by the settlement, an eighth of the area should suffice in sustaining the tourist and maintenance sectors, named the Miscellaneous Area (MA).
The MA shall further be subdivided into 4 terminals:
MA-E: this is where space vessels from Earth are allowed to dock. As most of the MA's spacecraft will most likely originate from Earth(since this is the designated area for tourist ships), this terminal will get a half of the area of the MA.
MA-EO: this is where space vessels from Earth's outer orbit will dock. This will be small-scale passenger spacecrafts arriving from small space settlements or research stations. This is not where large-scale CASSSCs containing cargo from the outer orbit will dock, they will instead dock in the CA or the SCA, depending on their size.
Although transportation is a crucial element for the settlement’s function, as commerce provides a greater stream of revenue, the transportation has a reduced priority in terms of distribution of available docking space. However, the MA provided should empower prospective transportation companies to establish themselves in Columbiat. We will offer progressively greater benefits for companies seeking to engage in large-scale transportation operations, such as reduced costs for using Columbiat as a docking bay, and a discount of refuelling and repair.
All sections will be have quick and versatile access to essential services for the operation of their ships, such as refuelling and repair.
Due to the constraints of available space, there will be no specific area for storing goods. This is because it is assumed that any company transporting goods should have provided enough CASSSCs or SCSs to store any transported cargo. If in an emergency, like the malfunction of a cargo ship, a company may request to temporarily store their cargo in the settlement owned CASSSCs or SCSs, at a high fee.
Space Commerce, Financial, and Tourism Centre
As mentioned before, the docking area has allocated spaces for both commerce and tourism (where tourism will be located in the MA). However, in terms of office space Columbiat provides an additional area on the settlement with the ‘business and legal’ ring. Here, companies will be allowed to rent out, or purchase at a markup, lots within this ring to set up headquarters and offices.
Note that lots refer to the standard sizes widths and lengths of a commercial building on Earth, around 15meters by 15meters (length and width) per lot, and a height that extends to the top of the ring. Businesses may buy multiple lots adjacent to each other if extra space is required, as once they own a lot they may construct on it as they wish, so long as they are within its space allocation.
The ring will be divided into the following sections:
The space will be allocated as such:
The CC is for large companies and businesses to set up operations, and should not be confused with the 'rest and recreation' ring, which will be where residents and visitors of Columbiat will be provided with a variety of goods and services to enrich their lifestyle on the settlement.
As we cannot predict the demand for certain commercial sectors in this region, i.e. food, entertainment, hospitality, technology etc. we will leave it up to the free markets of Earth. Instead of contracting companies like restaurant brands, we shall offer the vacant areas of the 'rest and recreation' ring to any prospective businesses seeking to capitalise on the consistent source of customers on the station. We will advertise the available areas on Earth, and also offer to subsidise personnel and equipment transport costs.
We also hope to create a sense of culture and community within this area, by constructing settlement operated buildings such as museums and libraries. Additionally, this area, despite being compact and urbanised due to the limitations of space, will have moderate priority for creating an aesthetically pleasing and natural environment. Flora imported from Earth shall be used to decorate the ring, with small parks placed sporadically around the ring.
As time passes and a community starts to evolve and settle into Columbiat, more cultural projects will be undertaken, such as a zoo featuring a variety of fauna from across Earth, or a state-of-the-art auditorium.
Space Governance, Legal, and Defence Services
Columbiat's Governance, Legal and Defence services shall all be located at the centre of the 'business and legal' ring, occupying the final eighth of the space and is named the Bureaucratic Centre (BC).
It should be important to note that this area will not be where garrisons or accommodation for troops and defence personnel will be located. Instead, they will be located in the CC, specifically in the areas designated as residential.
The BC is divided into the following sections:
