Chinese Space Platforms

From Acw

Mysterious developments

As the other powers were frantically building Ark Ships, the Chinese embarked upon construction of a series of massive orbital platforms. Little is known of these projects outside the People's Republic. Speculation was rife at the time, the most popular theory being that these platforms were intended to be habitats for excess population in a country bursting at the seams even before the Migration Crises.

Three of these structures, each the size of the American Ark Ship Liberty, were flown into relatively stable assisted orbits at various points in the solar system. A fourth remained in orbit around Earth. Constant traffic between these four gargantuan platforms formed the entirety of Chinese space traffic until the mid 2100s. A fifth was constructed in geostationary orbit above mainland China, and was despatched finally to a location outside the solar system in 2149.

The platform orbiting Earth is the Tiananmen Station, meaning the "Gate of Heavenly Peace".

The station orbiting between Mercury and Venus, composed almost entitrely of solar panels, is called Shenwumen (Gate of Divine Might). The platform orbiting near Jupiter is called Wumen (Meridian Gate). The platform orbiting near Saturn is called Taihemen (Gate of Supreme Harmony) station.

The mysterious fifth platform was called simply Qianqing, or "Heavenly Purity".

Chinese Efforts Abruptly Cease

In April 2153, All Chinese space traffic abruptly ceased. Tiananmen Station was ostensibly shut down. Observation revealed the other four in-system stations to be similarly inoperable, and deep scanning could not find the sixth station.

Experts were puzzled, as the Chinese do not have access to Krasnikov Drive technology and no discernible purpose could be found for such massive structures. The Chinese remained quiet on the whole project.

Tiananmen is reopened

Russian and American satellites detected energy levels from the previously mothballed Tiananmen Station in early 2152. The station has been operating at minimum levels in a skeleton-staffed state since then. It was offered to the great powers as the site of what has become known as the Tiananmen Peace Congress.