High-bandwidth, redundant, and future-proof communication infrastructure for hollowed-asteroid bases — linking the base to Earth, other colonies, the mining fleet, and future interstellar traffic.
Maintain constant, secure, low-latency connectivity for command, telemetry, entertainment, science data, and emergency response — even across interplanetary distances and during solar storms.
The requirement cards on this page govern. Where this text differs, the card applies. Oversight from Earth is at light delay.
Requirement: Every hollowed base shall maintain external communication by laser or optical arrays with radio backup. On loss of link, life-preserving functions continue inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope. The IPLS-3.1-014 hold applies to other actions. T is unset. Entanglement is not a link. Entanglement-ready ports follow IPLS-3.1.12-003. Data rate and availability per external path are unset. N per external path is unset. The optical and radio paths shall not share a single power feed, pointing mechanism, or data bus.
Rationale: Provides command at light delay, telemetry, cultural exchange, and emergency response.
Open Questions: None at v0.7
Requirement: Latency, data rate per node, and the node list are unset. Paths per node are unset. Command and life support are separate fail-operational paths under IPLS-5.1-002 and shall not share a single node, hardpoint, or power feed. Mesh operation shall not depend on the external link. Automatic rerouting and isolation act inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope and are logged and reported to the operator. Overrides follow IPLS-3.1.12-007.
Rationale: Creates reliable internal communications for operations, safety, and daily life.
Requirement: Entanglement is not a link. Entanglement-ready ports are an upgrade path. The ready port is the UMP-DATA-001 entanglement-ready fibre port. Its specification, and which systems carry it, are unset. Activation is a supersession and waits for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. TSP-v1 readiness criteria are undefined. Network-level readiness follows IPLS-3.1.19-003.
Rationale: Prepares an upgrade path. Hardware replacement is not assured.
Requirement: Arrays relay to Earth, Luna, Mars, other colonies, and the mining fleet at light delay. On loss of link, including solar conjunction, life-preserving functions continue inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope. The IPLS-3.1-014 hold applies to other actions. T is unset. Relay nodes, their number, and coverage through solar conjunction are unset. Relay protocol and store-and-forward behaviour are unset. Relay reliability floor is unset.
Rationale: Maintains coordination at light delay.
Requirement: The cipher suite follows IPLS-3.1.19-004. Whether quantum-secure means post-quantum algorithms or quantum key distribution is unset. Penetration-test pass criteria are unset. Key custody follows the IPLS-5.1-002 succession. A seized credential is not consent. Loss or expiry of a key does not stop life-preserving functions inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope. Anti-jamming acts inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope for hostile acts. It does not cover pursuit. Whether distress signalling under IPLS-3.1.12-006 is encrypted is unset.
Rationale: Protects strategic data and command authority in contested or hostile environments.
Requirement: Signalling protocol follows IPLS-3.1.19-005. Beacon duration, range, and the list of critical zones and vessel classes are unset. Beacons shall not share a power feed, data bus, or antenna with the IPLS-3.1.12-001 arrays. Dependence on PGEDS-v1 follows IPLS-3.1.6.1-001. Automatic activation is a life-preserving action inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope and is logged and reported to the operator. Overrides follow IPLS-3.1.12-007.
Rationale: Guarantees rapid location and response capability in any failure scenario.
Requirement: Critical communication functions shall expose physical overrides. Their use follows IPLS-3.1.4-007. On loss of link, life-preserving functions continue inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope and other actions follow the IPLS-3.1-014 hold. T is unset. Whether a veto can stop an emergency broadcast already running is unset. Veto latency and reliability floor are unset. The list of critical communication functions is unset. Network-layer overrides follow IPLS-3.1.19-007.
Rationale: Preserves operator authority under IPLS-5.1-002.
Requirement: Life-critical systems remain at the 500-year figure in IPLS-3.1-016. Whether beacons and emergency broadcast are life-critical is unset. Supersession waits for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. TSP-v1 readiness criteria are undefined. Degradation order, the parts repairable from ISRU spares, and the life-test acceleration basis are unset.
Rationale: Ensures reliable external connectivity as frontier communication technologies evolve.