Roberts Space Industries

Roberts Space Industries, also known as RSI, is a Human multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells spacecraft, vehicles, spacecraft components, and space suits. It is one of the oldest and most influential space technology companies in the United Empire of Earth (UEE), with origins reaching back to Humanity's first steps into the stars. Incorporated in 2038, RSI developed the Quantum drive in 2075 and released the earliest terraforming machinery used by Humans in 2113.

fleet as of the 25th of March, 2956, presenting the Aurora Mk II.

Founding and incorporation

Roberts Space Industries was officially formed in 2038 on Earth by a young inventor named Chris Roberts, who established the core tenets of the company's philosophy long before he began working on his first creation.

Learn from the past, Reach for the future, Fuel innovation, Cultivate talent, Always be relevant - Chris Roberts, core tenets of RSI's philosophy

In the 21st Century, traveling to space was a rare and cost-prohibitive event for civilians. Earth was reaching a critical mass of overpopulation, and numerous wars erupted across the planet as the populace faced food, water, and energy shortages. Roberts formed a team to address some of the issues of the day. In 2043, RSI released its first product, a hyper-efficient battery converter for ground-based civilian vehicles. The company's initial products ranged from a compact water-purification system to an energy-efficient power network, and included a small expansion into cricket farming.

Making space travel affordable

Although RSI found modest success in non-space products, Roberts continued to seek out greater innovations. In 2061, while studying a recent crop of doctoral dissertations from a prestigious engineering school, he came across the work of Dr. Scott Childress, whose thesis envisioned more affordable engine systems for spacecraft.

Because Roberts had long dreamed of making space travel more accessible, he met with the graduate and assembled a team to build a more affordable engine for spacecraft. The process was not without setbacks, but on 2075-05-03 RSI unveiled its prototype quantum core engine.

The Quantum drive technology was immediately recognized around the world. Exploration missions became feasible, as piloted vessels could now push further into the solar system. Various states (called "countries" at that time) that previously could not afford space travel were suddenly able to embark on missions of their own.

Death of Roberts and terraforming worlds

Making space more accessible did not solve the overpopulation on Earth, so Roberts pulled together a dedicated team from RSI's various subsidiaries to develop the company's most ambitious technology yet: terraforming a planet. This pursuit became Roberts' obsession until he died in 2108. Although terraforming remained elusive during his life, the new CEO continued his corporate philosophy of seeking out innovators. After two generations of team members and almost forty years, RSI unveiled the world's first Atmo-Processor on 2113-04-21, which laid the groundwork for terraforming a world.

With a potential solution in sight, governments, corporations, and scientific minds came together to form a global collective focused on terraforming Mars, which at the time was completely uninhabitable, to relieve the population problem on Earth.

The project lasted decades and suffered an incalculable loss when an accident, known as the Mars Tragedy, caused the deaths of nearly five thousand early settlers. During the long course of this sprawling project, the chairman's policy of project diversification yielded another achievement. Responding to the difficulties faced by the terraforming division in transporting resources to Mars, RSI's Astro Development Team created the Zeus, the first commercially available spacecraft.

In 2460, while Earth was overcrowded and expansion and terraforming had opened vast amounts of territory for Humanity to move to, there was still apprehension among the public. It was not until RSI's "The Air You Breathe" campaign that people began to move out into the universe, eager to start over on a new world.

Messer Era

In the early 27th century, during the Second Tevarin War, as the Messers became more entrenched in their position, RSI lost its military contracts to Aegis Dynamics, the manufacturer that built the weapons of war favored by Ivar Messer. Several of RSI's divisions continued to work closely with the scientific bureaus and terraforming oversight committees in the UPE, but the company as a whole converted into a primarily commercial and civilian corporation.

In 2757, in response to the death of Anthony Tanaka, a twelve-year-old boy who had refused to work, RSI CEO Avel Gedima acknowledged the death and ordered a complete evaluation of all RSI facilities to ensure that they adhered to health and safety standards. A few months later, Ulysses Messer X released "damning and incontrovertible evidence of corporate malfeasance" to the NewsOrgs, claiming that Gedima had embezzled imperial finances for personal use. The case languished in the courts for years, but the constant barrage of evidence forced Gedima to step down. RSI's military contracts were not reinstated until the end of the Messer Era.

Astro Development Team

The Astro Development Team (ADT) is responsible for designing and manufacturing smaller civilian-focused spacecraft, including the Aurora and Constellation lines. It is the team most aligned with the company's original vision of affordable spacecraft. All ship lines designed by the ADT are distant descendants of the original Zeus (the Zeus name was retired in favor of the current star-themed naming around 2550).

Capital Development Team

The Capital Development Team (CDT) is responsible for designing and manufacturing larger spacecraft, usually under military contract. In addition to manufacturing civilian designs such as the Mover transport, it serves as the prime contractor for the Bengal carriers, among other projects. The CDT is involved with several dozen spacecraft lines at any one time, either as a prime contractor or as a system developer. Its headquarters is located at L5, where larger spacecraft can be constructed in orbit.

Engine Development Team

The Engine Development Team (EDT) is responsible for designing and manufacturing engine components such as the Quantum drive, jump engine, power plant, and thruster systems. The EDT is the organization from which the company evolved, and it continually refines the Quantum drive technology the company patented almost 900 years earlier. Modern jump engines are made more efficient over generations of development, with a significant safety increase in each iteration. The EDT also develops in-house power plant and thruster systems for RSI spacecraft, with the overall goal of reducing cost in pursuit of the founder's dream of affordable private space travel. The EDT is headquartered in Moscow, where its design facilities and prime engine factory are located.

Experimental Development Team

The Experimental Development Team (XDT), commonly referred to as Skunk Works, is responsible for top-secret government contracts and experimental projects using previously undeveloped technology. XDT efforts are not formally budgeted by RSI, and its projects never appear on any formal rosters. It is rumored that the XDT is responsible for much of the tear-down work done on Vanduul technologies captured on the frontier. The XDT is headquartered on the dark side of Luna, where vast tracts of territory were signed over to RSI in the early 23rd century for engine testing.

Future Foundation

The Future Foundation is a division of the company devoted to charitable foundations and grants, established after the fall of the Messer regime. It awards millions of credits a year to help promote education, fund new research, and provide housing opportunities.

Trivia

• RSI partnered with PAW to set a standard for sustainable shipbuilding with the release of the Meteor, which was designed with a commitment to protect wildlife, preserve habitats, and ensure clean materials throughout the manufacturing process.
• The name is sometimes misspelled by players as Roberts Space Industry.

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