Apoastris AGTS-C class shuttlecraft

The Apoastris AGTS-C class shuttlecraft is a transatmospheric single-stage-to-orbit vehicle primarily used to transport equipment, raw materials and personnel between orbital spacecraft and planetary surfaces.

They were carried aboard larger vessels such as Skychaser class colonyships and used to transfer personnel and cargo. They could also be used for emergency fuel runs, harvesting hydrogen and other gaseous resources should the mothership run out of reaction mass. Each has VTOL capabilities via anti-grav plates, and the Apoastris's powerful micro-fusion power plant provides enough energy to power the engines for hours at a time, which allows the shuttle to function as a low speed aerial platform for exploration and survey roles.

Take-off and landing

The Apoastris enters an atmosphere after decoupling from a mothership on a low delta-v orbit. As it hits the atmosphere, the hypersonic re-entry speed generates shock heating. Carbon fiber thermal tiling on its ventral surface protects the Apoastris during the descent. As it decelerates in the upper atmosphere, it vectors towards its landing site.

In order to reach orbit, the shuttle rises in hover and the engines are vectored slightly aft to begin forward acceleration. The shuttle then transitions to wing-borne forward flight. It then accelerates to supersonic speed, steadily accelerating the fusion orbital engine for the final burn to orbit.

Technology

Despite its size, the Valkyrie's mass is relatively small due to a fuselage fashioned from extremely strong non-metallic composite material. The material has high tensile strength, but only one quarter of the weight of the permalloys used in previous shuttles. The superstructure uses carbon nanotube composite in key locations to maximize stability and help conserve fuel. The three exhaust nozzles of the orbital engines face aft, and the engine nacelles are heavily shielded from the cargo bay. The least radioactive sections of the reactor directly parallel the bay.