The Foundation Society
The Foundation Society is a multi-planitary foundation, set up for the betterment of humankind. This group of nations and industrial titans fund major space settlements which span the entire system. They are also a huge investor in humanitarian operations, ensuring development equality for all.
Lobbying Efforts
The Foundation Society was initially founded as a commercial enterprise between several large multi-national firms. These firms recognised that the laws regarding ownership in space at the time, precluded any incentive for commercial exploration. Without the ability to own a particular resource, no entity national or commercial could financially justify funding further exploration initiatives.
The Foundation Society worked with the United Nations to implement a strict set of property rights which apply to objects that are above the Karman line. A subsequent set of treaties organised rights to claim parts of the Lunar surface. The basis of these laws was the idea that, if an entity had a base capable of supporting human life on an astronomical body, any land within a 30 kilometre radius would legally belong to the entity.
This simple change in the laws on property rights in space triggered the greatest industrial effort ever undertaken by humankind. In 2025, just five years after the treaty was signed, nationals from over 45 countries had set foot on the moon. The first humans to set foot on Mars were carried there on partially commercially funded vehicles. Humanity took its first steps into the darkness.
Settlements
The solar system of the UKSDC universe is thrumming with life: from subterranean stations on Mercury, to the surface of Venus, to the shadows of the asteroid belt, humans have made their homes. A significant number of these are private developments focused on making use of the unique environments possible in space and in constructed habitats: bioprinting services making use of zero-g, refineries using the linear variation in gravity to separate materials more effectively, metal-forming making saving money on crane, etc.
Amongst these are several prestige settlements, commissioned, run, and owned by The Foundation Society. These settlements typically host a larger population and operate more like a city than a science station or industrial estate. They aim to enable independent developers to make use of proximity to suppliers, a free workforce/consumer-base, and any advantages of their location. This stimulates economic growth in the location of the solar system, and often leads to payback times on the order of 60 to 100 years, despite the terrific cost of such settlements.
Map of the Solar System
Naming
- Location - 450km LEO
- Initial Population - 260
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 800
- Services - Microgravity Research, Material Analysis, Consultation on Human Wellbeing in Space
- Location - 380km LEO
- Initial Population - 500
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 500 + 500 transients
- Services - Tourism, Astronomy, Extravehicular Activity Training
- Location - 500km LEO
- Initial Population - 1000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 2000
- Services - Consultation on Artificial Gravity, Basic Orbital Construction Facilities
- Location - Earth-moon L4 point
- Initial Population - 5000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 26,000 + 4000 transients
- Services - Refueling, Shipyards, Fission Energy Consultation, Financial and Technical Hub
- Location - Earth-Moon L1 Point
- Initial Population - 10,000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 24,000 + 16,000 transients
- Services - Education, Residential Amenities, Tourism Hub, On-orbit Manufacturing
- Location - Plato Crater, Near side of the moon
- Initial Population - 8000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 20,000 + 3000 transient
- Services - Commercial and Legal Services, Entertainment Industry, Tourism
- Location - Space Elevator between Earth-Moon L1 and Copernicus Crater on the Lunar Surface
- Initial Population - 7000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 20,000 + 5000 transients
- Services - Major Transport Hub, Manufacturing, Propulsion Research
- Location - Jackson Crater, Far side of the moon
- Initial Population - 4000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 16,000 + 1200 transients
- Services - Superconducting Perovskites, Specialised Electrical Manufacturing, Titanium and Aluminium Alloys, Radio Astronomy Research
- Location - Aldrin Cycler Orbit
- Population - 150 staff + 750 passengers
- Year of Decommission - 2095
- Services - Shirtsleeves transport to Mars, Cargo Transport to Mars, In-Flight Rover Production
- Location - Earth-Moon L5 point
- Initial Population - 12,000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 20,000 + 5000 transients
- Services - Mass Driver, Cargo Handling, Refinery, Fusion Energy
- Location - 200km orbit above Mercury
- Initial Population - 1000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 3000 + 250 transients
- Services - Solar Activity Monitoring and Modelling, Transport Hub for the Hermian System
- Location - 300km Low Martian Orbit
- Initial Population - 4000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 9000 + 1000 transients
- Services - Freight handling, Access to Argonom, Mars Emergency Response, On-orbit Construction
- Close to the summit of Ascreaus Mons
- Initial Population - 10,000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 22,000 + 4000 transients
- Services - Major Manufacturing, Super Heavy Launches, Access to Mars, Base in a Box
- Location - The settlement moves along the Terminator line on the surface of Mercury
- Initial Population - 2000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 8000 + 800 transients
- Services - Meissner Tetrahedra Wheels, Self-Lubricating Reardonium Bearings
- Location - Venus South Pole
- Initial Population - 2000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 6000 + 300 transients
- Services - Foundation Society Headquarters, Advanced Robotic Systems, Largest Off-Earth Library
- Location - Aldrin Cycler Orbit
- Population - 100 staff and up to 1000 transients per vehicle
- Services - Earth to Mars Freight, Shirtsleeves transport to Mars, Mass Driver, Astronaut School
- Location - The Environs of Phobos
- Population - 75,000 students and up to 20,000 transients
- Services - Spacious and luxurious tourism hub, artwork and cultural artifact exhibition, major CASSSC depot
- Location - Hermian Lava Tubes
- Initial Population - 10,000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 25,000 + 3000 transients
- Services - High Temperature Titanium Alloy, Maglev Train Consultation, Rapid Setting Concrete
- Location - The Asteroid Belt
- Initial Population - 4000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 5000 + 500 transients
- Services - Asteroid Mining, High Velocity Mass Driver, Manufacturing, Access to Outer Planets
- Location - Aerostats flying at 30-50km above the Venusian Surface
- Initial Population - 8000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 11,000 + 1000 transients
- Services - Tourism, Export of Foodstuffs, Acid-Resistant Spacesuits, Weather Prediction Software
- Prokofiev Crater, Hermian North Pole
- Initial Population - 400
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 500 + 50 transients
- Services - Nuclear Fuel Exports, Hermian Surface Transport Hub, Solar Panel Research
- Location - Dao Vallis, Eastern edge of Hellas Basin
- Initial Population - 16,000
- Predicted Population in 2100 - 18,000 + 2500 transients
- Services - Basic Terraforming Capabilities, Small Scale Environment Construction
- Location - Earth-Mars cycler, 5 Synodic Periods & 4 Solar Revolutions per Cycle
- Population - 60 staff and up to 500 transients per vehicle
- Services - Earth-Mars Passenger Transport, Tourism, On-orbit Construction
- Location - 45-degree inclined orbit at 0.25 AU
- Population - 2500 permanent residents
- Services - Power beaming, Small-Satellite Mass Production, Interdisciplinary Scientific Research
The Foundation Society uses a naming convention for its settlements: the first letter indicating the order of Foundation Society settlements, and the suffix indicating both relative location and absolute location within the solar system. E.g.: Alexandriat was the first (‘A’) Foundation Society settlement in orbit (‘-a-‘ => at a body, i.e. in orbit) around Earth (‘-t’ => Terra). Balderol was the second (‘B’) Foundation Society settlement on (‘-o-‘ => on the surface of) the Moon (‘-l’ => Luna).
The only other significant location not covered by this convention is low-Earth-orbit, which is refered to as LEO.