Fuels and Energy

Fuel and Energy Sources for Spacecraft

Drive Type	Typical Isp (s)	Fuel Category	Cost	Infrastructure Dependence	Typical Role
Methalox Chemical	350-380	A	Low	Low	General-purpose launches and orbital transfers
Hydrolox Chemical	430-460	B	Medium	Low	High-performance launches, landers, and transfer craft
AluLOX Chemical	300-350	C	Low (Luna)	Low	Lunar shuttles and surface operations
HELL-V	800-1200	B	Medium	Very High	Surface-to-orbit launch
Nuclear Thermal Rocket (Hydrogen)	850-950	B	High	Low	Deep-space exploration and fast transport
Nuclear Thermal Rocket (Ammonia)	350-450	D	Medium	Low	Cargo transport and bulk freight
Laser Thermal	1000-3000	B, C, D	Low fuel cost	High	Laser Highway traffic
Laser Sail	—	None	Very Low fuel cost	Very High	Bulk cargo and long-duration transport

Travel Costs

Travel within the Solar System is generally priced in stages rather than by distance. Reaching orbit is the most expensive part of most journeys, after which passengers transfer between orbital vehicles or Deep Space Vehicles (DSVs) as needed.

The fares below represent typical second-class civilian prices. Corporate contracts, government travel, military transport and emergency passage often use different pricing.

Earth Launch

Route	Typical Second Class Fare	Typical First Class Fare
Earth Surface → Low Earth Orbit (LEO)	Cr5,000	Cr10,000

Launch prices include atmospheric ascent aboard a reusable launch vehicle or spaceplane, transfer to the destination orbital facility, and standard baggage allowance.

Interplanetary Passenger Fares

Ticket Type	Base Fare	Per Inner Planet Orbit Crossed	Per Outer Planet Orbit Crossed
Second Class	Cr10,000	+Cr10,000	+Cr80,000
First Class	Cr20,000	+Cr20,000	+Cr100,000

Example: A second-class passenger traveling from Mercury to Mars crosses the orbits of Venus, Earth and Mars, for a total fare of Cr40,000.

Fast Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) vessels with Drive Rating 3 or higher typically charge an additional 10% × Drive Rating premium.

Cargo Rates

Cargo	Base Cost	Per Inner Planet Orbit Crossed	Per Outer Planet Orbit Crossed
Standard Freight	Cr2,000 per ton	+Cr2,000 per ton	+Cr15,000 per ton

Fast NTR freighters (Drive Rating 3+) generally charge an additional 10% × Drive Rating premium.

Moon and Local Transfers

Passenger and freight movement within a single planetary system is considerably less expensive.

As a general rule:

• Base fares are reduced by 50%.
• No premium is charged for faster vessels.
• Most transfers are handled by chemical orbital vehicles rather than Deep Space Vehicles.

Examples include:

• Earth Orbit ↔ Luna
• Luna ↔ L4/L5
• Mars Orbit ↔ Phobos
• Jovian moon-to-moon transfers

Typical Operating Costs

Expense	Typical Cost
Liquid Hydrogen Fuel	Cr500 per ton
Water Reaction Mass	Cr100 per ton
Berthing Fees	Cr1,000 per week
Life Support	Cr100 per person per week

Typical Monthly Crew Salaries

Position	Monthly Salary
Commander	Cr10,000
Executive Officer	Cr6,000
Senior Mission Specialist	Cr5,000
Mission Specialist	Cr4,000
Payload Specialist	Cr3,000

Notes

• Passenger fares assume scheduled commercial service.
• Charter flights, emergency evacuations and rescue missions are negotiated separately.
• Earth launch remains one of the most expensive individual segments of any journey, despite two centuries of improvements in reusable launch technology.
• Most routine travelers purchase separate launch and passage tickets. For example, a traveler flying from Earth to Luna typically purchases an Earth-to-LEO launch, followed by orbital passage to the Moon.

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Fuel Station Codes

Code	Service
A	Methalox available
B	Hydrolox available
C	AluLOX available
D	Ammonia available
E	Laser Highway beam services available
F	Water available in commercial quantities

For ease, fuel costs relative to Mongoose are one jump = 1 burn; same 500/ton as a base cost.

Water and Space Travel

Water is one of the most important commodities in the Solar System. It can be used directly as reaction mass in some propulsion systems, converted into hydrogen and oxygen for conventional rocket fuels, or employed for life support and radiation shielding.

Unlike most fuels, water does not have a single specific impulse. Its performance depends entirely on the engine and heat source being used. The rise of Laser Highway propulsion has dramatically increased the value of water-rich locations throughout cislunar space and the asteroid belt.

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