Saturn
Description
Saturn should be another Jupiter, another huge gas giant, replete with moons and with the added bonus of the ring material should make it an industrial giant to rival the Jovian system, but Saturn has never been exploited in quite the same way. Saturn is strictly a second-string operation with only minimal investment in it and most of its moons, with so much invested into Jupiter and with so much return there simply hasn’t been any need to exploit Saturn so much. Because of this the chief investor in Saturn has been the Chinese, ideologically and pragmatically opposed to being tied to the private enterprise led helium three supply from Jupiter the Chinese, in partnership with other governments who share a more state-led approach have begun construction of their own helium mining tether in orbit fifteen degrees north of the ring system. Of Saturn’s moons only Titan has received real attention from this governmental alliance, due in no small part to the presence of large amounts of hydrocarbons on Titan’s surface which are processed for hydrocarbon fuels and the creation of plastics and other materials. The presence of large amounts of methane and ethane in Titan’s atmosphere also allow for cheap energy production making the Titan facilities self sustaining in terms of power and therefore cheaper to run.
Government
Titan is run by a government appointed board with representatives from the participating nations, chiefly the Chinese, Russians and French. The board are required to live in-situ and at present reside at the way station on Rhea, the marshalling yard for the construction of the orbital tether and the jumping off point for hydrocarbon tankers heading elsewhere in the system.
Geography
Saturn has a weaker magnetic field than Jupiter and so less shielding is needed. More of the stations and settlements within the system are built close to the surface rather than being nestled into the rock, an aesthetic as much as a money-saving decision, what would be the point of being so close to Saturn if you couldn’t see it? Rhea is little more than a frozen rock and the tether isn’t yet finished which only leaves Titan, a planet with conditions not unlike Earth, only colder and based upon different chemistry. The bases here are built on stilts above the hydrocarbon lakes and use magnetic coils to launch their cargo into orbit where it is picked up by tugs for shipping. Titan can be deceptively like being home, compared to other planets, and accidents with space suits happen because this misleads people.
Starport quality
B, Scout, Research
Size
A
Atmosphere Type
C
Hydrographic Percentage
3
Population
7
Government Type
7
Law Level
4
Tech Level
D
Price Multiplier
1.5
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