Starpoint city

Starpoint City is the main spaceport of Earth. It is located on the west and north coasts of Australia, one of Earth's continents. As a spaceport, it serves as the launching site for most surface-to-orbit launches.

## Overview

### Construction

Due to its large area; low population; and relative flatness; and relative proximity to the equator, the northern parts of Australia were chosen to become the main offworld shipping terminal as the Union of Sol grew as more and more material, equipment, and people started to leave and return to Earth. Due to the loudness and ionizing radiation produced by the newly introduced fusion engines, regular launches were undesired in area's with large populations, such as south- and eastern Asia, most of Europe, and large parts of the America's. A launch site close to the Equator was preferable, as it would cut down on launch costs.

Starpoint City was part of the larger Project Starpoint, an initiative led by the United Nations of Earth. Aside from Starpoint City itself, Project Starpoint also constructed an enormous ocean-crossing multi-track railway connecting Australia to Earth's two main population centers of India and China. This railway, the Java-express, was a prominent cornerstone of the Planetary Railway Grid.

Project Starpoint took three decades to complete, although most of this work was dedicated to the Java-express.

### Starpoint City

Starpoint City itself was a vast collection of deap-sea harbors; cargo terminals; railway yards; airfields; and launching- and landing pads for planetary landers. Aside from the logistical area's, entire cities worth of buildings were dedicated to planetary administrations, logistical administrations, amenities and living space for the staff and maintenance crews. Due to the stresses of continued use of fusion engines in-atmosphere, the buildings were all structurally reinforced and used shaded & reinforced windows, or faked the concept of windows using large wall-mounted television screens. Since the outside was dangerous, several expansive in-door parks were present to simulate various biomes that Earth had to offer.

### Sacrificed land

While Starpoint City eventually proved a massive economic boon to Earth and the Union of Sol, it did leave some unavoidable scars.

The complex was bathed in the flaring white-blue light of nuclear engine fire for most of every day and night. Earth's heavy gravity and thick atmosphere prevented the use of more discrete thrusters, and the use of the polluting chemical engines was long since abandoned. Aside from the light, the pressure of the engines was enough to level trees and shatter residential-level windows. The continued use of the engines also caused the entire outside area to have a elevated radiation level compared to the rest of Earth.

As such, most 'outside' work was done in hazard suits, or mechanised walkers to provide protection against the pressures, heat, and radiation.

A lot of native flora and fauna suffered greatly from the construction and use of Starpoint City. While measures were taken to migrate local species away, and to scare them off from returning to the land, many birds, rodents, and insects were presumably killed yearly by the environmental dangers of the area. Larger vegatation also suffered, but mosses and grasses seemed to grow ever more resilient to the harsh environment every passing year.

### Spaceport services

While Starpoint City was by far the largest and most succesful spaceport of Earth, it was not the only one. Several more small spaceports dotted Earth's surface, although these were mostly used for launching and landing people, and not cargo. The Bengal Gulf, the South-Chinese Sea, and the Caribean sea held most of these small spaceports. These spaceports caused far more controversy than Starpoint City, since the launches of smaller spacecraft still caused large pressure waves and light pollution for hundreds of kilometers surrounding such ports, causing annoyance for local populations.