Disposable Nanodrone System
The latest breakthrough in remotely controlled spacecraft technology consists of palm-sized disposable spacecraft remotely powered by a ship's on-board laser array. The nanodrone system consists of remote laser array, control computer and a nanodrone assembly plant.
The assembly plant is capable of rapidly assembling hundreds of tiny spacecraft from on-board component storage. Drones can be outfitted for on-the-fly repairs, ore haulage and other purposes.
Each drone contains a solid block of aluminium propellant that's vaporized by directed laser heat to provide thrust, using an array of mirrors to control thrust vectoring. Drones are expected to perform their role in less than a minute and are considered disposable after launch.
Drone assembly plants
Drone assembly plants occupy a hardpoint and require onboard companion nanodrone components to function.
| Name | Effective range | Drones per second | Drone wet mass | Drone thrust | Power draw | Mass | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MPI Tug drones | 400 m | 50 | 0.1 kg | 1 kN | 50 MW | 4,000 kg | 250,000 E$ |
| MLF Haul Drones | 400 m | 50 | 0.1 kg | 1 kN | 50 MW | 4,000 kg | 350,000 E$ |
| OME Maintenance Drones | 32 | 50 MW | 4,000 kg | 400,000 E$ |
Nanodrone Components
Nanodrone components must be purchased when launching, or fabricated from processed minerals using the Voyager RSLS Fabrication Plant.
| Name | Storage | Delivery | Price | Exclusive to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic nanodrone storage | 1,000 kg | 20 kg/s | 20,000 E$ | |
| Industrial nanodrone storage | 5,000 kg | 20 kg/s | 120,000 E$ | |
| Military nanodrone storage | 10,000 kg | 100 kg/s | 250,000 E$ | |
| Harvester-class nanodrone storage | 20,000 kg | 100 kg/s | 500,000 E$ | Cothon-212, K225, OCP-209 |
| Station-class nanodrone storage | 50,000 kg | 100 kg/s | 1,250,000 E$ | K225, OCP-209 |