Imperial Space Station
The term "Imperial Space Station" covers a wide variety of orbital installations that cover an equally wide variety of roles, including shipyards, Adeptus Mechanicus research stations, naval command bases, and simple orbital habitats.
Overview
Sizable and well-armed, space stations can fend for themselves rather well, and often find themselves at the center of fighting in a system. Additionally, all space stations have docking facilities, with most only able to handle a single Cruiser or Escort squadron at once. The greatest, however, can accommodate multiple ships.[1]
Most shipyards are controlled by the Imperial Navy or Adeptus Mechanicus but, a few worlds, such as Luxor and Verstap in the Gothic Sector or Port Wander in the Koronus Expanse, operate independent ones of their own.[1][2]
During the Gothic War, control of space stations was of critical importance, as the constant battles led to a high demand for refit and resupply facilities. This importance made the various space stations the center of many great battles during the conflict, with an extreme example being the eighteen battles fought for the Chrysalis Shipyards over Arimaspia.[1]
Star Forts
The largest Imperial space stations are known as Star Forts. These gigantic and heavily armed and fortified structures are often used as command bases[3] and even Fortress-Monasteries for Space Marine chapters.[4] A well known class of Star Fort is the Ramilies Class.[3]
Notable Imperial Space Stations
- Phalanx - Gigantic Fortress-Monastery of the Imperial Fists. It is the largest known space station in Imperial service and is said to be the size of a small moon.[5]
- The Rock - Fortress-Monastery of the Dark Angels.[6]
- Galatan - Star Fort in service with the Ultramarines.[7]
- Mjalnar and Gormenjarl - Twin Star Forts in service with the Space Wolves.[8]
- Broadsword Station - Fleet base of the Grey Knights over Titan.[10]
- Raptorus Rex - Former Fortress-Monastery of the Fire Hawks Chapter.[4]
- Chimaera - Star Fort in service with the Dark Angels during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.[9]
- Artefact 9-Kappa-Mu - Mysterious relic in the Sol System.[11]
- Dhulsa - Guards the northern entrance to the Nachmund Gauntlet[12].
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Ships of the Gothic Sector, pg. 145 (accessed 2010.12.01)
- 2: Rogue Trader Rulebook, pg. 341
- 3: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (Book) pg.33
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two pg. 202
- 5: Index Astartes II: Imperial Fists, p. 12
- 6: Codex: Dark Angels (4th Edition) pg.10
- 7: Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition Rulebook pg.158
- 8: War Zone Fenris: Curse of the Wulfen Chapter 1
- 9: Wolf King (Novella) Chapter 4
- 10: Codex: Grey Knights (5th Edition), pg. 11
- 11: Codex: Adeptus Custodes (8th Edition) pg.29
- 12: Warhammer Community : LVO 2022 – Aeldari Corsairs Plunder the Nachmund Gauntlet in Kill Team’s Next Expansion (Posted on 28/01/2022) (Last accessed on 28 January 2022)
