Guide to Spacecraft Classification

Spacecraft are the backbone of interstellar civilization. This page contains a list of common spacecraft classifications. These classifications vary widely in scope; some reflect fairly specific designs while others refer to broader roles filled by a number of distinct design types. Further, many operators and manufacturers use unique systems for categorizing their fleets, and it is common for ships of one type to be able to fill one or more roles described.

Civilian

Bulker

Bulkers are large spacecraft that move huge volumes of cargo between planets and star systems. Bulkers are typically ftl capable with minimal conventional maneuvering capabilities and long range. They generally incapable of directly landing any body with significant gravity. Bulkers offer little or no protection to their cargo, generally exposing it to the vacuum of space with minimum containment. Bulkers are often hundreds of meters or a few kilometers in length, and transport hundreds of thousands or millions of tons of cargo, often with crews ranging from one to two dozen.

Bulkers are often subdivided into container and mass bulkers. Container bulkers are fitted to transport standardized shipping containers, while mass bulkers handle large volumes of liquids or aggregate material, such as mineral ore, raw plastic and metal pellets, and fluids of various sorts. Mass bulkers are typically more specialized than container bulkers, and are often either closely related to container bulker designs or are container bulkers fitted with large modules to handle their more homogenous cargo.

Although nearly all high volume interstellar transport is done faster than light, there are a handful of large bulkers, typically ore transports servicing rogue planet mining operations, that are built without ftl capabilities and typically operated autonomously.

Clipper

Often termed “fast freighters”, clippers are generally medium cargo spacecraft, almost never larger than kilometer in length or 500,000 tons capacity, and more maneuverable than a bulker both in ftl and conventional flight. Clippers generally offer greater levels of protection and amenities to their cargo, such as radiation shielding, power, active cooling, and sometimes pressure. Clippers are generally not capable of operating directly from planetary surfaces, although some have been built to take off and land from low gravity airless worlds. Clippers are almost always extraordinarily long range and have crews of a dozen to nearly a hundred depending on the ship’s model and cargo. Most large interstellar passenger liners are clippers.

Bulkers and clippers are frequently referred to collectively as heavy freighters or heavy transports.

Colony Ship

Colony ships are large vessels designed to transport the people and material needed to establish a planetary colony. They are often related to clippers or bulkers in design, and frequently integrate the functions of large tenders and mobile manufactories. They are frequently hundreds and sometimes thousands of meters long, and can carry several hundred thousand tons of equipment and many thousands of colonists, often with a complement of several hundred dedicated crew to operate the ship and its support equipment.

Generation Ship

Generation ships are large vessels intended to sustain a crew for voyages far longer than the crew members' life expectancy. Such ships are typically very large, and their operation is often more analogous to that of a remote colony than a spaceship, intended to sustain a biosphere for centuries (or indefinitely) without external contact or support. Economical faster-than-light travel makes such ships extraordinarily rare in the modern day; the most notable uses of generation ships were during the Silence, most famously during the evacuation of Kasath. Most of the largest spacecraft ever built were generation ships, many of which have embarked populations of over ten million.

Mobile Manufactory

Mobile manufactories, or factory ships, are large vessels designed to construct or make significant repairs or modifications to other spacecraft and voideborne assets. Mobile manufactories vary in size depending on the type of structure they are intended to service, rarely smaller than a few hundred meters and sometimes well in excess of a kilometer. They often posses large crew complements, rarely smaller than several dozen and occasionally reaching into the hundreds or even thousands. There is significant overlap between light mobile manufactories and tender vessels.

Runner

Runners are the smallest type of cargo ship, generally only a few hundred meters in length or less and carrying less than 1000 tons of cargo, with crew complements ranging from 6 to two dozen. Their small size typically allows them to operate from the surfaces of most planets, and they are frequently re-entry capable. Runners are frequently used for express passenger and parcel services, as couriers or VIP transports, or for data transport due to their speed and ability to access most destinations of note, and are a favorite of smugglers across the galaxy who place a premium on access and the disceetion afforded by small size and high maneuverability.

Due to their common use in express parcel and passenger/parcel service, clippers and runners are frequently referred to as “fast” or “flash” packet ships.

Shuttle

Shuttles are small, non-FtL capable vessels used to move cargo from handling facilities to larger transports, or to transfer cargo between transports. They are often re-entry capable, and vary dramatically in size, capacity, and crew complement. Shuttles can be sub-divided into light and heavy types based on capacity, with light shuttles generally moving less than 25 tons, or into passenger, container, and bulk types depending on cargo; often, both types of sub-division are used. Shuttles are also frequently used as high-speed transports between points on the same planet, or within planetary systems.

Surveyor

Surveyors or explorers are ships designed to chart unknown planets and star systems. They are typically relatively small, and are able to operate in a huge variety of planetary conditions and to land on a number of common unprepared surfaces. They are almost exclusively FtL capable and long-range, and equipped with extensive sensor arrays. They vary widely in size and complement, from small 6-man ships to much larger flying laboratories able to conduct extensive research far from support facilities. The very largest survey vessels often act more as carriers or tenders, supporting smaller surveyors or shuttles in various survey activities.

Tender

Tender ships are vessels designed to support other ships or voideborne assets. They are frequently equipped to refuel and conduct minor repairs on other vessels, or to provide emergency services. Tenders frequently serve local ships at starports, but some are built to rescue stranded vessels in deep space. Whether or not they are FtL capable is generally determined by their intended range of operations. Tenders vary greatly in size and crew complement, but less than a dozen is common when not providing emergency services. The largest temders are sometimes able to operate as mobile starports, able to provide a large number of services for smaller vessels or to support other ships on extended missions in uncolonized space. Such ships are often simply termed mobile starports.

Tug

Tugs are small ships designed to aid other voideborne assets in maneuvering, such as larger ships, space stations, and satellites. They are rarely capable of atmospheric entry, and often have complements of less than 6 with minimal life support provisions, although their size and power vary wildly. Tugs are often termed light, medium, or heavy depending on their power output. Most tugs are not FtL-capable, although some models are able to aid in Aether flight maneuvering, and a small number of transports designed to move larger, non-FtL capable vessels through the Aether are also classified as tugs.

Military

In addition to these types, star fleers will generally make use of unarmed vessels such as tenders, tugs, and heavy transports.

Battleship

The Battleship is a nebulous term in modern space combat. It generally refers to a ship larger and more heavily armed and armored than a cruiser. The only broadly uniform features of a battleship are large size, lack of atmospheric entry capability, and heavy armament. Battleships are often referred to as dreadnoughts, juggernauts, battle-cruisers, heavy cruisers, or titans, and are often used as flagships by forward commanders. However, as the term is so nebulous, it is rarely used in serious military circles.

Carrier

Carriers are ships designed to launch and support other spacecraft. They are most commonly used to deploy large numbers of drones and parasite ships, although especially large carriers can also support and deliver more sizeable warships. The most common type of carrier are small drone carriers, which are crewed by only a few dozen individuals and serve as swarm control and electronic warfare platforms. Larger carriers deploy a diverse mix of drones and parasite ships, and commonly also provide logistic support to other ships of the fleet. The largest carriers are used to deploy static voidborne assets such as listening posts or orbital weapons platforms. Carriers are typically armed almost exclusively with point defense weapons and electronic warfare systems, and are practically never able to operate in atmospheres or from planetary surfaces.

Cruiser

The term “cruiser” is most often used to refer to a large starship designed to engage enemy warships. Cruisers vary massively in size, armament, and crew complement; for this reason many star fleets differentiate between many cruiser types, although these classifications vary dramatically between fleets. However, most cruisers are commonly hundreds of meters long, carry complements of between 50 and 200, and mount one or two extremely heavy weapons systems, while generally being incapable of operating in atmospheres.

Dropship

Dropships are spacecraft designed to ferry troops, equipment, and supplies to planetary surfaces under combat conditions. They are also occasionally used to provide close air support to ground troops. They are otherwise similar in size and complement to civilian shuttles, carrying from a few dozen to a few hundred tons, and are generally able to land on unprepared surfaces. Many dropships are designed to act as pillboxes upon landing, although weight constraints mean that the protection they are able to offer is typically marginal at best.

Parasite Craft

Parasite craft refer to non-ftl capable spacecraft launched from a larger vessel. They typically act as ordinance delivery platforms or point defense, with air support to ground troops another popular role. They are typically short range and are rarely crewed by more than 6 people. Parasite crews frequently refer to their ships as “pilot fish”.

Point Ship

Point ships are typically small vessels not equipped for direct engagement with enemy vessels. They are commonly used for reconnaissance and point defense in support of other warships, or as drone swarm control or electronic warfare platforms. They are generally, but not necessarily, smaller than cruisers and similarly incapable of planetary operations. Many navies use the classification of destroyer or light cruiser to refer to point ships armed with light ship to ship weapons, although most consider such ships to be under the cruiser umbrella unless used in a particularly specialized fashion by a fleet’s doctrine.

Starfighter

Starfighters are the smallest ftl-capable combat ships, generally crewed by no more than 6, with limited interstellar range and frequently capable of operating in atmospheres. They are often multi-role, with anti-ship, air support, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance capabilities, and their versatility makes them prized tools of smaller stellar navies.