Spaceport

Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, to Luke Skywalker

HoundsTooth Mos Eisley XWM — The *Hound's Tooth* departs Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine

A spaceport or starport was a site for launching and receiving spacecraft.

History

Depending on the customs procedures of the world, the spaceport could be orbital or planetside. Some planetary governments did not allow foreign spacecraft to enter the upper atmosphere and required visitors to dock their starships at an orbital spaceport, traveling to the surface using official transportation.

In Herglese, the term for a spaceport was shan-pakk. Due to the influence of Herglic trading in the Tapani sector, this term was widely used throughout the sector.

The Galactic Republic built a spaceport on the planet Tatooine to profit from the Outer Rim trade. However, it was destroyed by the Separatists under General Sev'rance Tann.

Classification system

A spaceport could service multiple spacecraft in an official capacity and was open to any civilian vessel with proper clearance. In contrast, a landing pad was a private facility, typically capable of servicing one spacecraft at a time.

There were five different classes of starports, describing the magnitude of the landing facilities, the availability of goods and services and the amount of security.^[2] The classification system was maintained by the Imperial Space Ministry, which inspected and certified starports.^[3] The system was devised by the Galactic Republic and taken over with minimal change with the ascension of the Galactic Empire.^[2]

These classes were not absolute, but more generalizations. Costs, fees and availability of goods often depended on the local star system's economy, the state of the starport's administration and the funding, legal or otherwise. For example, those starports subsidized by the Imperial Navy often had lower costs. Also, different personalities of Imperial Customs officers and starport personnel and different local practices made each location unique.^[2]

Landing Field

Often nothing more than a leveled area of dirt or duracrete, this kind of "starport" had little to no services or flight control, often not even a beacon. What was available was often affordable by the average spacer, but lacked in quality.^[2]

Limited Services

Limited Services included a control tower with landing beacon, small sheds with docking, storage and maintenance areas for only the most primitive repairs. Nearby areas were often used as landing fields if the starport was full. Supplies and goods had to be purchased from outside the port.^[2]

Standard Class

Main article: Standard Class starport

These starports had fully staffed and equipped flight-control centers and on-site restocking services. The starport had a small shipyard and was capable of minor repairs and modifications. Costs for these services could go up to double the normal price and took twice as long to finish. Quality ranged from mediocre to very good.^[2]

Stellar Class

Main article: Stellar-class starport

Stellar Class starports had landing and docking for nearly any kind of vessel. Shipyards and repair facilities surround the port and were capable of any repair job or modification, assuming that the customer was willing to pay. The quality of service was very good and affordable. Stellar Class starports often had a Customs office on site and a large Navy presence in the system.^[2]

Republic Class/Imperial Class

Main article: Imperial-class spaceport

Republic or Imperial Class starports were the most luxurious and modern starports in the galaxy. Originally named Republic Class during the days of the Republic, they were renamed Imperial Class during the reign of the Galactic Empire. A wide array of docking facilities and the most lavish and advanced amenities and services were available for spacers. The system's companies and merchants had offices directly at the starport. A captain often didn't even need to leave the port to conduct all of their business.^[2]

Customs offices were often staffed by highly competent officers, and the government kept a high presence at these ports. Troublemakers, such as smugglers, could expect thorough searches and checks and to feel the full extent of the law.^[2]

Spaceport types

Wookiee

The spaceports used by Wookiees primarily utilized Wookiee-based architecture, and also had a plated dish rather than a circular dish tower.

Gungan

Gungan spaceports were primarily white with several odd structures. They had two hangars within the main white building. Sando HoverFreighters were frequently used to load things on and off the vessels.

Royal Naboo Security Forces

The spaceports used by the Royal Naboo Security Forces utilized the typical Naboo architecture. In addition, similar to the later Rebel Alliance variant, the satellite dish had a smooth, bowl shape.

Trade Federation

Similar to the later Imperial Spaceports, the Trade Federation's spaceports during the Invasion of Naboo generally had a large satellite-dish array as well as a storage hangar. They also had an underground hangar used to launch large-scale starships. Neimoidian trader vessels were known to frequent this location to exchange materials for nova crystals.

Grand Army of the Republic

The Grand Army of the Republic's spaceport design was primarily prismatic with some cyan touches, a garage, and an open hangar, as well as a four-pronged circular satellite dish.

Separatists

Mostly due to its original headquarters being on Geonosis, the Separatist spaceports were generally modeled after the caves of Geonosis. Unlike other spaceports used by various factions, it completely lacked a dish, although it did possess a spherical dome jutting out of the right side that eventually grew upon the spaceport's completion.

Galactic Empire

During the Galactic Civil War, Imperial-owned spaceports generally had a large satellite-dish array as well as a storage hangar guarded by a turret. They also had an underground hangar used to launch large-scale starships. Imperial Cargo Traders were known to frequent this location to exchange materials for nova crystals.

Kile II had such an Imperial spaceport before it was destroyed by Rogue Squadron.

Alliance to Restore the Republic

The Rebel Alliance variant was slightly similar in design to the Imperial variant. However, it had red colorings, and a basic dish tower instead of a spiked dish tower. In addition, the underground hangar was of a slightly different shape.