New Solar Order: Fleet Registry

 

Fleet Registry: Classification of Spacecraft in the New Solar Order

Image Credit: Escape Velocity by Ambrosia

Issued by the Interplanetary Fleet Commission (Revised 2nd Solar War Standard)

Note: Classification is based on nominal tonnage, independent range, and intended operational role. Exceptions exist by faction and doctrine.

Preface: On Spacecraft and Atmocraft

Within the New Solar Order, the term spacecraft refers specifically to vehicles designed for sustained operation beyond a planetary atmosphere—capable of orbital insertion, interplanetary transfer, and autonomous function in vacuum.

This classification does not include atmocraft (aerodynamic vehicles used within atmospheres), sometimes colloquially called atmoplanes, the descendants of ancient Terran “airplanes.”

While early military nomenclature carried over titles like fighter, bomber, and shuttle from atmospheric aviation, their definitions evolved dramatically over the centuries. For clarity, every vessel described in this registry is spaceborne in design and operation. The Fighter Class, in particular, refers exclusively to space combat craft, not atmospheric aircraft.

Summary Table

ClassTonnage (tons)RangeIndependenceRoleStatus
Fighter<10LocalDependentDogfightingDeprecated
Shuttle10–50LocalDependentTransport/UtilityActive
Corvette50–200InterplanetaryIndependentPatrol, Scout, EscortActive
Destroyer200–500InterplanetaryIndependentStrike, InterceptActive
Cruiser500–1000InterplanetaryIndependentCombat, ExplorationActive
Frigate1000–1500InterplanetaryIndependentEscort, Recon, CommandActive
Carrier>1500InterplanetaryIndependentForce ProjectionActive
Freighter>1500InterplanetaryIndependentCargo TransportCivilian
Leviathan>10⁶InterstellarSelf-SustainingArk, MigrationRare
BehemothVariableStationarySemi-IndependentIndustrial/ColonyRare
DreadnoughtVariableInterplanetaryIndependentStrategic WarfareExtinct?

I. Sub-Interplanetary Craft

(Non–Solar System travel capable; primarily atmospheric or local-orbital.)

Fighter Class (<10 tons)

Status: Deprecated after the First Solar War

  • Purpose: Short-range dogfighters once vital in orbital skirmishes and surface defense.

  • Traits: Extremely agile, manually piloted, high-thrust craft.

  • Notes: Obsolescence followed the development of accelerant engines and autonomous defense platforms. Still used by pirates, mercenaries, and fringe colonies where scrap tech persists.

Shuttle Class (10–50 tons)

  • Purpose: Utility craft for personnel or cargo transport within planetary systems.

  • Traits: Modular and unarmed or lightly armed; easily mass-produced.

  • Variants: Diplomatic shuttle, mining shuttle, exploration shuttle.

  • Notes: Universally used by civilian, corporate, and military alike. The only craft classification that has survived unchanged since the dawn of space travel.

II. Independent Solar Vessels

(Capable of autonomous Solar System traversal.)

Corvette Class (50–200 tons)

  • Purpose: The smallest craft capable of independent Solar System travel.

  • Traits: Agile and modular, suitable for patrol, courier, or scout roles.

  • Notes: Often crewed by fewer than fifty; the first step above shuttles in strategic importance.

  • Example: Starbridge-class Corvette — “The smallest ship that matters.”

Destroyer Class (200–500 tons)

  • Purpose: Fast attack and anti-corvette operations; often forms the vanguard of a fleet.

  • Traits: High acceleration and heavy forward armament, sacrificing armor and endurance for speed.

  • Notes: Originally designed to counter the corvette proliferation of the First Solar War.

Cruiser Class (500–1000 tons)

  • Purpose: Mid-range combat and exploration ships; mainstay of long-duration deployments.

  • Traits: Balanced firepower and endurance, typically capable of independent operations.

  • Notes: The “backbone” of most fleets. Cruisers often serve as flagships in smaller task forces.

Frigate Class (1000–1500 tons)

  • Purpose: Multi-role escort and command vessel for convoy defense, reconnaissance, or sector patrol.

  • Traits: Excellent versatility and balance of speed, armor, and firepower.

  • Notes: Often used as fleet command ships during peacekeeping or colonial operations.

Carrier Class (>1500 tons)

  • Purpose: Mobile deployment platforms for smaller craft—corvettes, shuttles, and drones.

  • Traits: Massive, slow, and heavily fortified; carries onboard fabrication and repair facilities.

  • Notes: Cornerstone of Second Solar War strategy. Entire battlegroups are often organized around a single carrier.

Freighter Class (>1500 tons)

  • Purpose: Long-haul transport of cargo, resources, or personnel across the Solar System.

  • Traits: High-capacity, low-speed; emphasis on efficiency over defense.

  • Notes: Civilian or corporate-operated; occasionally armed during wartime convoys.

III. Singular Constructs

(Legendary vessels built once per epoch.)

Leviathan Class

  • Tonnage: Variable, typically >10⁶ tons.

  • Purpose: Planetary ark or migration vessel; self-sustaining biospheres.

  • Notes: Rarely constructed; often tied to myth, religion, or empire. Some remain lost in the Outer Belt.

Behemoth Class

  • Purpose: Industrial superstructures — orbital shipyards, mobile foundries, or colony seedships.

  • Traits: Functionally immobile once operational; serve as system capitals or logistical hubs.

  • Notes: Some factions retrofit ancient Behemoths into moving fortresses or deep-space citadels.

Dreadnought Class

  • Purpose: Apex warship. Built to end wars, not win battles.

  • Traits: Weapons of mass annihilation capable of planetary sterilization, otherwise known as glassing a planet.

  • Notes: Each Dreadnought symbolizes an era’s technological zenith — and perhaps moral collapse. None are known to exist intact after the Second Solar War.










































































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