Commercial Relegation Platform

Above the tallest pillars of civilization and monuments of technology stands a symbol that can be seen from anywhere, on any planet. A beacon that shines in the bleakness of space as a symbol of unity. A hand reaching out to the universe itself, beckoning any and all that would take it, and be called 'friend'.
--The thesis of a Commercial Relegation Platform

Introduction

Commercial Relegation Platforms (most commonly referred to as 'Platforms') are a structure designed to facilitate intergalactic commerce and travel. The principle behind their design is simple: A tower with the functionality to extend in height up to a planet's stratosphere, allowing spacefaring vessels to easily dock and land on the planet, while giving the planet's leadership the ability to control incoming and outgoing interstellar travel at their discretion.

Prevalence

Any planet that engages in trade or travel with other planets in any consistency will have it in their best interest to build at least one Platform. To that end, despite the high upfront costs of construction, even planets of lower a economic standing will typically have at least one Platform. Planets who heavily rely on export/imports will have several Platforms in key locations across its surface.

Utility

Beyond just being a single point of entry or exit to a planet, Platforms serve many other functions related to trade and travel. This is facilitated via the Network Market, a realtime marketplace where almost anything can be bought or sold, then shipped or teleported directly to the buyer. Platforms are often lined with electronic kiosks directly connected to the Market, where individuals can conveniently buy or sell the latest imports to the planet, as well as place Fuel Orders. 
Because there is no standardized fuel system even within a single Galaxy, many different vessels use different types of fuel. In cases where a vessel uses an uncommon fuel source, and said fuel is too heavy to bring enough for a return trip, space travelers must rely on Fuel Orders if they wish to take off from the planet. Fuel Orders are a request to import a certain amount of the type of requested fuel, which is a service many businesses provide at varying pricepoints and schedules. 
Those who want the best deal on Fuel Orders will typically hire a Broker, individuals who monitor Market shifts and specialize in identifying and offering the best deals for Fuel Orders, as well as any other commodities. Most ruling powers of any given planet, as well as major businesses typically employ private Brokers for such orders, but lower cost Brokers are available to the public in high quantities. The investment is often worth it when the alternative is spending several hundred times the value of fuel.

Manufacturing

The cost to construct and maintain even a single Platform is far beyond what most planets' economies can handle. In such cases other planets or companies may offer a commission to build the Platform on their behalf, in exchange for various benefits, such as favorable trade deals, or royalties on income generated by the Platform until it is paid back in full. Deals such as these are typically skewed largely in favor of the builder, however most planets are willing to accept such agreements, since they still stand to receive a greater long term benefit.

Compatibility

As the name implies, the top of this structure is a large platform, which is designed for vessels to land on and dock with. Most modern vessels are designed specifically to dock with Platforms, and do not typically have traditional landing systems, though will still come with various emergency landing systems. This is because it is almost always more fuel efficient, and thusly more cost effective to dock with a Platform, instead of landing somewhere closer to the planet's surface.
OUTLIERS
Despite this, many vessels do still come with traditional landing gear and are not designed to dock with a Platform. The most common are Survey Vessels, which exist to explore remote galaxies or visit lesser developed planets. These types of vessels typically use universal engines, meaning they can use nearly any material as fuel. Their lack of efficiency in short distance travel prevents them from being more widely used.
A less common type of vessel are those which use fully renewable fuels, hence circumventing the need to dock with Platforms to refuel entirely. Examples of this are vessels built by Angels or Demigods, who can use their own bodies as a fuel source, or Ambrian vessels, which are built from photosynthetic materials.