Landungsschiffe

Entering and exiting atmospheres of planets isn't easy - far from it.

We used to use once only re-entry craft which were launched on rockets. Then they became reusable in the form of shuttles.

Modern society wouldn't work with these types of ship. Today we use a modified form of Mammoth Haulers to enter and exit atmospheres using enhanced engines to takeoff and land. These ships are known as Landers or Atmospheric Ferryboats. Big, ugly and by no means comfortable. Well some are.

They use a modified cargo pod to hold spacecraft as well as passengers in its large internal area. Many shops, restaurants and other recreation facilities. As well as, for those longer journeys, cabins, casinos and cinemas.

Building these ships is quite a task, they require more Teladianium hull plating than standard ships. And the heat reflective shielding. Some ships can even have up to 7 x 125MW energy defense shielding.

What's more, they require a large area on the surface to land on. Spaceports are common across Argon Prime in particular. All with Mass Transit access.

Maintaining these ships is paramount, and engineers are onhand all the time to assist. But no ship will enter or exit an atmosphere unless if it is safe.

Landers are accessed by 4 docking bays underside, and the staff hangar on the upper side of the ship. Usually equipped with Express Class ships.

And they are becoming quite common to see.