Mobile Production Shipyards
Unlike most shipbuilders, Skywise Astral Services does not rely exclusively on fixed orbital construction yards. Our company operates four mobile production shipyards, each converted from a decommissioned 60,000-ton Azhanti High Lightning class Imperial cruiser.
Following military retirement, these legendary warships underwent one of the largest civilian conversion programmes ever undertaken. Their weapons, troop facilities, and combat systems were removed and replaced with advanced manufacturing plants, fabrication shops, assembly bays, engineering departments, quality-control laboratories, and testing facilities.
The result is a fleet of self-contained travelling shipyards capable of constructing complete Fire Class vessels and our entire range of standardized 30-ton and 100-ton modules almost anywhere in Imperial space.
Rather than requiring customers to travel to major industrial worlds, Skywise brings Tech Level 13 manufacturing capability directly to frontier systems, colonial development projects, mining operations, naval support contracts, disaster relief missions, and rapidly expanding commercial markets.
Although their unmistakable silhouettes still reflect their military heritage, their purpose has been completely transformed.
Where warships once projected military power, they now deliver industry, commerce, and opportunity.
The Former Spinal Weapon
The most dramatic transformation occurred where the cruiser's spinal weapon once dominated the length of the ship.
The original meson gun or particle accelerator has been completely removed, leaving a clear structural tunnel approximately 360 metres long. This enormous space has been converted into the primary module assembly hall.
Large clamshell doors at both ends allow completed modules to be launched directly into space. When closed, the entire assembly hall can be pressurized, allowing construction crews to work in shirtsleeve conditions rather than vacuum suits, dramatically improving productivity and safety.
The assembly hall is capable of accommodating any combination of standardized transport modules, including up to:
- 16 standard 100-ton modules, or
- 24 standard 30-ton modules.
In normal commercial operation, production is generally configured as one of the following:
- 10 × 30-ton modules and 10 × 100-ton modules, or
- 14 × 30-ton modules and 7 × 100-ton modules.
Maintenance walkways completely surround each production position. Permanent one-metre-wide service galleries are installed every 4.5 metres along the assembly hall, with expandable sections increasing walkway width to two metres when constructing the smaller six-metre diameter 30-ton modules.
Internal Manufacturing Facilities
Although the exterior appearance of each production ship remains largely unchanged, the internal arrangement bears little resemblance to its military predecessor.
Entire sections once devoted to combat operations have been repurposed for civilian manufacturing and engineering.
| Original Function | Current Skywise Function |
|---|---|
| Cartography Centres | Crew recreation and welfare facilities |
| Cargo Holds | Raw material storage and metallurgical processing |
| Troop Accommodation | Hull component manufacturing, fabrication, and storage |
| Auxiliary Bridge | Electronics manufacturing and systems integration |
| Main Weapon Decks | Engineering systems, manoeuvre drive production, and interior component manufacturing |
| Boat Hangars | Fire Class starship assembly halls |
| Boat Dock Complex | Expanded docking facilities for 50-ton cutters and standardized 30-ton modules |
Fire Class Assembly Halls
The former flight hangars & flight-crew quarters have been extensively rebuilt into two dedicated starship assembly complexes.
Each pair of decks has been combined into a single enclosed manufacturing volume approximately 22.5 metres high, creating two independent assembly halls capable of constructing complete Fire Class vessels.
Each assembly hall provides approximately 10,500 cubic metres of enclosed workspace, equivalent to approximately 750 tons displacement.
Within these facilities, complete Fire Class vessels of up to 600 tons can be assembled entirely under cover before launch.
Larger vessels, including the Bonfire, Wildfire, Inferno, and Firestorm classes, are constructed in major structural sections. These sections are assembled internally before being transferred outside the shipyard for final integration whenever the production vessel is operating in normal space.
Continuous Production
Operating four travelling production yards allows Skywise Astral Services to maintain continuous manufacturing while remaining close to our customers.
Whether supporting a new colony, replacing losses following a natural disaster, expanding a commercial fleet, or establishing manufacturing capability in frontier regions, our mobile shipyards ensure that modern starship construction is never limited to the great industrial centres of the Imperium.
We don't simply build ships.
We bring the shipyard to you.