Subscribe to download
AAM Eider Mk. I [All Stock - No Mods]

Eider SSTO Transport

Specifications
Manufacturer: Ariel Aerospace Manufacturing
Mass: 41,362 kg
Powerplant: 15.64 MW (14 small reactors, 2 batteries)
Gyroscopes: 2
Armament: NA
Industrial Equipment: NA
Cargo Capacity: 3,375 liters
Refinery Facilities: NA
Assembler Facilities: NA
Medical Facilities: NA
Artificial Gravity: NA
Small Craft Complement: NA
Length: 11.5 meters
Width: 8.5 meters
Height: 3.5 meters

A popular vehicle in the Uranian commercial and industrial market, the Eider is a single-stage-to-orbit transport capable of ferrying both its pilot and a small amount of cargo to and from the surface of any rocky celestial body. As an SSTO, the Eider features both air-breathing engines and ion thrusters. This makes the craft able to perform multiple flights without refueling on hydrogen; while this can be a considerable advantage when time is short, the vehicle is dependent on rarer (and more expensive) uranium; however, consumption of uranium is so minimal that a small amount will last a while.

The vehicle carries a single medium cargo container, although additional items may be carried in the docking connector itself, as well as the cockpit storage unit. The Eider is rated for lifting at least five metric tons from Earth's surface to orbit without straining itself, although in the middle reaches of the atmosphere it will briefly slow its ascent.

Unlike its smaller cousin the Tern, the Eider is a single-variant design; a dedicated atmospheric version would not make sense, as such a role is already filled by the Fulmar. Nonetheless, private owners have been known to remove undesired thrusters to tailor their Eiders to particular environments. The Eider is particularly popular with independent shipping captains, and has largely replaced the aging Percheron as the go-to vessel for spacers on a budget.