Zenith Interstellar is a technology and research corporation, established in 2066, making it one of the oldest corporations in existence. It manufactures all forms of spacefaring technology, including entire vessels, androids, and related electronics. It is known for its public collaboration on the construction of space stations, and frequently partakes in interstellar research and expedition surveys, which was a major reason for its creation, though its participation in these expeditions has dwindled in recent years.
Creation and initial ethos
Early years
Zenith Interstellar was created upon construction of the orbital wormhole station, and was created to expedite the use of the station for purposes of finding worlds to colonize. They took large investments from many of the nation-states of Earth, who collectively agreed that it was of absolute priority that mankind colonize other planets. Beaufort also made signiticant contribution to the creation of Zenith, and it was because of Beaufort that the surveys were made possible.
Zenith cannibalized the research and resources of dozens of pre-Depopulation corporations and organizations. They began to construct vessel production facilities, but their facilities were vandalized beyond repair, which forced them to expediently sign a ten-year contract with Beaufort. They pre-selected hundreds of uncharted systems using existing stellar data, hoping to find Earth-like worlds around G, K, and M class stars. The wormhole station sent dozens of ships into deep-space, in a previously unprecedented expedition which later was entitled the Zenith Colonial Survey, though at the time was known only as the Survey. Once earth-like worlds were discovered, it was predominantly Zenith whom funded the terraforming endeavors of these worlds. It was these early years that gave Zenith the reputation of being primarily concerned with research, exploration, and the progress of mankind.
Recent years
Due to the fact that space-faring vessels have become commonplace and independently-owned, Zenith does not exclusively embark on expeditions, but rather organizes expeditions for dozens of various research organizations and researchers. Their primary focus is not on sending its own vessels to these systems, but rather on manufacturing products relevant to these interests; Zenith manufactures vessels and equipment for those who want to carry the torch of exploration. It also manufactures androids and bioresearch equipment.
Vessels
Zenith manufactures vessels for research purposes, and as a result all its vessels are kitted with all kinds of laboratory and sensor arrays, customized to the intended use of the vessel. For example, a bioresearch vessel will have different outfitting than an asteroid-research vessel.
There are several vessel models currently being sold; the Frontier, the Starbound, and the Orbital.
The Frontier // The Frontier is designed for charting expeditions in search of earthlike worlds, and as a result is kitted with a bunch of sensors and scanners designed for analyzing the surface and subsurface composition of asteroids, moons, and planets. It is designed for a maximum crew of ten.
The Starbound // The Starbound is designed for isolated deep-space research; it is kitted with surface scanners, subsurface probes, material analysis, bioresearch, and such. Because it is designed for long-duration missions, it is intended for a crew of six, but can accommodate more people if necessary.
The Orbital // The Orbital is the largest ship offered, and is designed for in-system research; it functions similar to how we use the international space station -- resources are sent to and from the vessel frequently, and custom equipment is provided for whatever experiment. Because this vessel is not designed for deep-space, it can accommodate a crew of twenty.
Zenith can also, on commission, outfit an existing vessel with the systems it produces; laboratories, sensors, etcetera.
Androids
Zenith androids are designed specifically with space travel in mind; they are small and light-weight, they have inbuilt mag-boots, stabilizers, and are designed to be easy for user-modification.
// SciFiQuest 3025: Revenge of the Deathborg