Numerous orbital tethers connected Kharzh'ulla's surface to The Ring.
An orbital tether (also orbital lift, space lift, or space elevator) was a transportation system that was tethered to a location on a planetary surface and connected to a facility orbiting that world in space. (VOY episode: "Rise", DS9 episode: "Chimera", TNG - S31 novel: Rogue)
History and specifics[]
Diagram of a maglev carriage on an orbital tether from Nezu.
In the 24th century, the Tellar Space Elevator on Tellar held the record for tallest free-standing construction in Federation territory. It had numerous tubes, lifts, six starship docking ports, restaurants, and gift shops. Built prior to the 22nd century, it remained a popular tourist attraction and an engineering marvel. The city of Koral provided surface access. (Last Unicorn RPG modules: TNG Core Game Book, Planets of the UFP) Portions were designed by Talla. (Last Unicorn RPG module: The Price of Freedom)
An orbital tether connected Chiaros IV to an orbiting communications relay. The tether enabled subspace transmissions to be sent through the planet's disruptive magnetosphere. (TNG - S31 novel: Rogue)
Orbital tethers linked the artificial planetary ring of Fosstarian II to various ImmutiCorp and government facilities on the surface. (Adventures RPG module: Strange New Worlds: Mission Compendium Vol. 2 mission: A Cure Worse Than the Disease)
The Tellarite colony world Kharzh'ulla featured an orbital structure called The Ring, which was connected to the surface by a network of orbital tethers. (SCE eBook: Ring Around the Sky, TNG novel: Losing the Peace)
In the 2340s and 2350s, a station on Talax's moon Rinax sent carriages along an orbital tether to a satellite in synchronous orbit to rescue Talaxians after a metreon wave was unleashed there. (Adventures RPG module: The Delta Quadrant, VOY episode: "Rise")
By the 2370s, an orbital tether on Koralis III had been abandoned. (DS9 episode: "Chimera")
In 2373, When atmospheric interference caused their shuttlecraft to crash near the Nezu orbital tether, Neelix and Tuvok repaired one of its maglev carriages and drove it into the upper atmosphere so that they could be rescued by USS Voyager. Neelix named the tether's carriage after his sister Alixia. (VOY episode: "Rise")
A space elevator on a class Y planet in system NFC 828-90-223 ferried multiple spherical cargo pods up to an orbiting saucer-shaped refinery platform operated by AIs. In 2381, USS Titan's shuttle Holiday landed at the refinery. (TTN novel: Synthesis)
In 2381, the crew of the USS Cerritos helped repair a space elevator at Dulaine. (LD episode: "The Least Dangerous Game")
In 2384, the USS Protostar docked with a space elevator at Noble Isle. (PRD episode: "Masquerade")
Notable sites[]
- Chiaros IV
- Dulaine
- Fosstarian II
- Kharzh'ulla
- Koralis III
- Nezu
- NFC 828-90-223
- Noble Isle
- Rinax
- Koral, Tellar (Tellar Space Elevator)
Appendices[]
Appearances and references[]
Appearances[]
- VOY episode: "Rise"
- DS9 episode: "Chimera"
- TNG - S31 novel: Rogue
- SCE eBook: Ring Around the Sky
- TTN novel: Synthesis
- Adventures RPG module: Strange New Worlds: Mission Compendium Vol. 2
- LD episode: "The Least Dangerous Game"
- PRD episode: "Masquerade"
References[]
- Last Unicorn RPG module: TNG Core Game Book
- Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP
- Last Unicorn RPG module: The Price of Freedom
- Fact Files Issue 63: "File 40, Card 36: The Orbital Tether"
- TNG novel: Losing the Peace
- Adventures RPG module: The Delta Quadrant
External links[]
- Orbital tether article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.