Luna

Luna is Earth’s only natural satellite. It is only a quarter of Earth’s diameter, with a gravity of 0.16 g—lighter than many spin stations in the Belt. Only 384,402 kilometers away from Earth, Luna was the site of humanity’s first landing on another celestial body, as well as the location of Earth’s first interplanetary colony, established in the early 21st century. This first permanent lunar base was a shared military and scientific endeavor, and while elements of both remain, Luna is now much more of a civilian station. Like Earth, Luna is governed by The United Nations , and the approximately one billion inhabitants of Luna are considered full UN citizens. Basic Assistance does not extend to Luna, so its citizens are generally wealthier than most of their counterparts on Earth. Lunar natives tend to have thinner frames, a result of life in the moon’s low gravity, but are not as tall and thin as a Belter.
Luna functions as a way station between Earth and the rest of the solar system, and serves as a natural meeting place between residents of the Inner Planets and inhabitants of the Belt and Outers. Due to its lower gravity, Luna is the only body in the Inner System that Belters can easily visit and where they can comfortably remain for any substantial period of time.
Just as on Earth, Luna hosts numerous corporate headquarters as well as respected universities and scientific institutes. It is a hub for commerce and travel, with frequent shuttle flights to and from Earth as well as regular long-haul transport and passenger service to the Outers.
Luna currently has a permanent population of nearly 1 Billion

Shipyards

Luna’s orbit is home to Earth’s primary shipbuilding facility, founded when the Martian colonies’ need for supplies outstripped the United Nation’s complement of ships. Outposts on the surface of the moon quickly swelled into the colonies that eventually became Lovell City and smaller surrounding outposts, as corporations established a foothold in microgravity or developed their Martian interests further up the well. 
Most of Luna’s cities and infrastructure are below the surface to protect those living and working there from the lack of atmosphere and solar radiation. Only Luna’s spaceport in Lovell City and access ports to the tunnels are above ground. The spaceport is ancient and one of a kind; the docks are hewn into the lunar surface and a fleet of tugs guide ships in and out. Work crews repair parked ships in sealed docks filled with air—more comfortable for Earthers unused to doing maintenance in the dark vacuum of space.

Geography

A hostile environment with no atmosphere to speak of, Luna is subject to intense solar radiation and a constant rain of micro-meteors, so surface domes such as can be found on Mars would be a significant safety risk. As a result, virtually all of Luna’s habitats and infrastructure are located underground, though view screens throughout the station serve as “windows” offering views of the lunar surface. Only Luna’s spaceport and access ports to the subterranean tunnels are above ground.

Alternative Name(s)

The Moon

Type

Planetoid / Moon

Location under

Earth

Included Locations

• Bush Shipyards
• Lovell City

Included Organizations

• Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile

Owning Organization

The United Nations

Characters in Location

• Jules-Pierre Mao