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Spacecraft Guide
The following lists commercial Solomani spacecraft common to each technology level.
For a related page, see Space Stations.
Terminology
Small Craft
Small craft are less than 100dt and lack a jump drive.
Boat
Anything designed for ferrying passengers and light cargo between ships, normally within a few kilometres of each other. Rarely have life support for more than a few days, and have less than 1km/s delta-v. They are often carried by larger ships.
Shuttle
A small craft designed for ferrying passengers and cargo between a planet and low orbit. Similar to boats, with limited life support but considerably greater delta-v due to the need to reach orbit. Most shuttles have the ability to land on a planet and return to orbit, though this doesn't become possible until TL10+.
Fighter
A fighter is a small one or two man craft, generally less than 20dt, designed for combat engagements. They have high acceleration and a delta-v in km/s or tens of km/s depending on tech level. A day or two of life support is common, though some can support missions of a week or more. They are heavily armed, often mostly with single shot weapons such as missiles.
Gunboat
Larger than a fighter, but still smaller than 100dt. They have longer life support duration (weeks or months), and are designed for patrolling a star system, requiring a high delta-v and moderate thrust. They normally support up to half a dozen crew, so they can have multiple shifts.
Yacht
A small civilian craft designed for interplanetary travel within a system. Have weeks or months of life support, and moderate delta-v and thrust. Generally unarmed and lightweight. Some of the larger varieties can be greater than 100dt in size, but they are rare.
Civilian Starships
Free Trader
A jump capable craft generally up to about 300dt in size. The fact that the crew are also the owners tends to be the main definition of a Free Trader.
Light Freighter
A jump capable cargo freighter up to 1,000dt in size.
Medium Freighter
A jump capable cargo freighter up to 10,000dt in size.
Heavy Freighter
A jump capable cargo freighter up to 30,000dt in size.