Mining colony space station.
A mining colony was a type of colonial settlement specialized in the extraction of natural resources by mining. (ST video game: Conquest)
History and specifications[]
In the 2250s decade, the harsh world of Corvan II in the Celes sector was a major dilithium mining colony for the Federation. As a result, it attracted attacks from the Klingon Empire during the Federation-Klingon War of 2256-2257. (STO - Age of Discovery mission: "Children of War")
By 2269, the Federation had established a dilithium mining colony on Loren V. During their excavations, the miners discovered Preserver ruins, including an obelisk. (TOS - Year Four comics: "The Enterprise Experiment, Part 3", "The Enterprise Experiment, Part 4")
By stardate 5892.7, the Federation had established a dilithium mining colony on the moon Cygnus VII. As the planet lay close to the Federation-Klingon Neutral Zone, this caused tensions with the Klingons who thought themselves entitled to the moon and its resources. (TAS - Star Trek vs. Transformers comic: "Prime's Directive, Part One")
In the 2370s, the powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants used orbital mining stations that orbited a planet to extract metal from its crust. The Borg Collective employed dilithium freighters for this purpose instead. (ST video game: Armada II)
Alternate timelines[]
In an alternate timeline where the galaxy had descended into a general state of war in the year 2364, the Federation constructed mining colony space stations in various star systems to generate credits which which to pay for Starfleet's upkeep. (ST video game: Conquest)