Cargo spacecraft are the workhorses of interplanetary and interstellar societies in human space. While designs and sizes vary between nations and corporations, all human cargocraft have the same layout and similar performance characteristics, varying more by the goods they transport rather than any unique technology an individual human faction has.
In general, cargocraft range from 100 m to 400 m long.
All human cargocraft use a single fusion torch drive that can accelerate at a constant .1 g to 2 g, depending on the mass of the cargo and the specifics of the engine. Generally, most civilian cargocraft that transport time insensitive goods burn at the start, coast for the majority of the trip, then decelerate at the end. Civilian transports accelerate and decelerate in the .3 g to 1 g range. It is on the engines where most of the heat radiators are located, siphoning off waste heat from the ship through large surface areas.
All cargocraft carrying low gain scanners for situational awareness, and high gain, tight beam range finders and comms. Every human faction has laws that require cargocraft to have their transponders turned on; those that don't will be investigated upon arrival in port and their owners penalized, if necessary.
Crew modules are the smallest module on the ship. They generally have basic medbays, no gravity other than the ship's thrust gravity, a small bridge, and basic crew accommodations. The ship's avionics are also located in the crew module. Crew count varies, primarily by the cargo transported and therefore the size of the engine that needs to be maintained, but one can expect no less than two crew, no more than twelve on a single vessel. However, many cargocraft that transport basic materials such as water and raw ore don't even have crew, instead entirely automated by computers, drastically reducing the complexity of the crew module and cost of upkeeping employees for corporations. The crew modules are typically made of light weight, aluminum outer plates, with water and extra fusion fuel storage adding additional thickness, serving as both storage and protection against radiation.
The majority of the cargocraft's length, anywhere from 50% to 90%, is the cargo space itself. These cargo spaces have two main types: an exposed, structural skeleton that raw materials can be strapped to; or an enclosed cylinder or box for additional protection for the cargo.
Finally, at the bow of the ship is an RCS module and additional surface area for sensors and avionics. Plumbing can be ran from the engine to the RCS here, heating up water to crate hot vapor plumes to generate the thrust required. Hypergolic, chemical fuels are also sometimes used to save the cost of plumbing.
In general, cargocraft range from 100 m to 400 m long.
All human cargocraft use a single fusion torch drive that can accelerate at a constant .1 g to 2 g, depending on the mass of the cargo and the specifics of the engine. Generally, most civilian cargocraft that transport time insensitive goods burn at the start, coast for the majority of the trip, then decelerate at the end. Civilian transports accelerate and decelerate in the .3 g to 1 g range. It is on the engines where most of the heat radiators are located, siphoning off waste heat from the ship through large surface areas.
All cargocraft carrying low gain scanners for situational awareness, and high gain, tight beam range finders and comms. Every human faction has laws that require cargocraft to have their transponders turned on; those that don't will be investigated upon arrival in port and their owners penalized, if necessary.
Crew modules are the smallest module on the ship. They generally have basic medbays, no gravity other than the ship's thrust gravity, a small bridge, and basic crew accommodations. The ship's avionics are also located in the crew module. Crew count varies, primarily by the cargo transported and therefore the size of the engine that needs to be maintained, but one can expect no less than two crew, no more than twelve on a single vessel. However, many cargocraft that transport basic materials such as water and raw ore don't even have crew, instead entirely automated by computers, drastically reducing the complexity of the crew module and cost of upkeeping employees for corporations. The crew modules are typically made of light weight, aluminum outer plates, with water and extra fusion fuel storage adding additional thickness, serving as both storage and protection against radiation.
The majority of the cargocraft's length, anywhere from 50% to 90%, is the cargo space itself. These cargo spaces have two main types: an exposed, structural skeleton that raw materials can be strapped to; or an enclosed cylinder or box for additional protection for the cargo.
Finally, at the bow of the ship is an RCS module and additional surface area for sensors and avionics. Plumbing can be ran from the engine to the RCS here, heating up water to crate hot vapor plumes to generate the thrust required. Hypergolic, chemical fuels are also sometimes used to save the cost of plumbing.
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