Space Development Consortium
    
...for the future!

 

What is the Space Development Consortium?

The SDC was established in 1502 by Ascendant Mazrim of Andrea in order to combine the efforts of the Andrean military, scientific, and commercial space endeavors. It was given the mission of developing outer space to the fullest extent possible, by encouraging private investment, exploration, and colonization.

During the Ascendancy's membership in SEMTO, the SDC worked with the Semto Space Service to further develop an improve upon the technologies of the various member states.

What is the Space Development Consortium like today?

Today, the SDC manages two space stations and a fleet of five manned shuttles based on Montedorian designs. The addition of nuclear rocket and unmanned space technology from the Ascendancy has enabled the fleet to be maintained with a quarter the workforce similar designs require, and to be launched without need for additional boosters.

The SDC uses the space stations to conduct research, maintain Andrea's satellite fleets, and serve as a platform for future exploration.

What are the Space Development Consortium's plans for the future?

The SDC is developing several programs to further our goal of expanding the Ascendancy off Scandia. Our flagship program is the manned mission to Aeris, the fifth planet, that is currently in the process of construction. We also offer the R-Prize, a program that will pay aM10 million to the first organization to develop a private space craft.

Andrean News Service Special Report
Mazrim Space Center, Colma Island

The Space Development Consortium (SDC) has released a 500 page report detailing the technical failures that cause the near loss of the Aeris-1 mission. The report is the result of hundreds of thousands of man-hours of work on the problem and includes a newly modified design for the main engine to increase the saftey of Aeris class spacecraft.

It is this that has cause the most excitement here on Colma Island. Many had feared that the Aeris progam would be shut down following the disaster, yet the exact opposite seems to have occured. If anything the Aeris program has sped up. Nearly completed at the time of the Aeris-1 disaster, the Aeris-2 has resumed production, with modifications being made to its drive. The Aeris-2 will have increased lifesupport for a 10 person crew. Several completed unmanned supply ships are being readied and will be sent to Aeris in anticipation of the follow-up mission.

With the increased crew, the Aeris-2 will have limited cargo, so mission planners have decided to return to the site of the Aeris-1 landing. The base will be extended by the addition of additional habitat modules brought by the supply ships.

Aeris is not all that is on the SDC's radar however. The Consortium is reportedly looking for additional partners for space exploration, and is interested in possible missions to other solar bodies, especially the moon. Much of the technology used for the Aeris mission can be adapted for other missions, the bottleneck is funding.

On the other end of the spectrum, the SDC is promoting it's R-Prize abroad in hopes of gaining more international teams. The R-Prize offers aM 10million to a private, non-governmental team that:
*Privately finances, builds & launches a spaceship, able to carry 3 people to 100 kilometers (62.5 miles)
*Returns safely to Scandia
*Repeats the launch with the same ship within 2 weeks

 

ANDREA BECOMING #1 IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Andrea has rapidly surged to the forefront in a number of fields in recent years, from manned spaceflight to biotechnology. This is attributed to behind-the-scenes efforts by the Ascendant to capitalize on such international organizations as SEMTO and the SSS. Already a leader in nuclear, pharmaceutical, and robotic technologies, Andrean industries are forming alliances within their fields to expand beyond mere short term profits. The Space Development Consortium is the best example of this, with plans for manned missions to the moon and Aeris.

 

 

 
  (c) 2003 Andrew Gray