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UBN To Infinity and Beyond Once more!

The Jushatkan Space Launching Platform has finally been used for the 1st time in over 25 years. Firing the Raynes Gate into orbit, Ulutor begins again its expansion into Space. This is now the 3rd expansion program Ulutor has undergone since the Ulutorian Space Agencies founding in 1967. This space station, the Raynes Gate, is most importantly a launching platform, meant to send Ulutorian craft, commercial craft in this case, onwards to asteroid belts to mine.

Now, will these ventures be sent soon? The 1st scheduled launch is in 2081 so it depends on what timescale you are using. But the estimated benefits of this station are put at 3.5 Trillion Ulas. With additional launches of new stations scheduled throughout the 2080s, these operations could be not only an extreme economic benefit but an end to Ulutor's resource woes.

Historically, Ulutor's success in outward military ventures depended on preparation, stockpiling, and on 1st Strikes. Ulutor does not possess vast amounts of oil, steel, or other key resources aside from Aluminum and Silicon. Thus, Ulutor buys resources in bulk and stores them away in military reserves so that during wartime, they can be brought out into production. This Strategy failed during the Archipelago War when resources hit a critical low when Ulutor was unable to import resources after losing control of the Seas and running out of a stockpile during the War. However, with a larger supply that can be tapped from Space, Ulutor could avoid saving up fuel and material for key strikes on targets and pursue a 'war of attrition.

You may notice that the same problem occurs, if Ulutor can't control the Seas it cant import. If Ulutor cant secure space, it can't bring back material. This is where Prime Minister Hushan Gumal comes in. Gumal has promised that Ulutor will have Merchant Defense Force in outer space to defend these shipping lanes. When Emperor William I was in power Ulutor began placing fighters in Space, but was forced to land them by international pressure and the Act of 2049. However, the recent Trade and Fair Navigation Act passed 3 months ago gives companies the right to defend their own trade by purchasing or contracting native Military Corporations. Essentially, a Ulutorian company can hire a private company that is based in Ulutor to defend their ships. In this context, that means the Merchant Defense Force is effectively privatized, allowing the companies to go around UN Law to put the craft in the stars for the protection of trade. The production, however, is being done by separate companies that were subsidized heavily by Ulutor. The Act also includes a provision explicitly for during wartime.

With 400 Fighters being launched to a Private Security Station being launched in Royonga, a private Space launch facility, Ulutor's merchants of the stars will have their force in space.

Prime Minister Gumal has said that a new generation of stations would go up with the approval of other nations, but how that would be obtained is in question. Ongoing talks in Zambet Fata with former Princess Shreya at the helm seem to reach into that diplomatic avenue. But it appears Ulutor will once more ascend as long as the current schedule keeps ongoing.