StarCitizen:Argo Astronautics

Argo Astronautics is a StarCitizen:human industrial design and manufacturing company based on StarCitizen:Mars in the StarCitizen:Sol system. Best known for its Multi-Purpose Utility Vehicle (MPUV) line of spacecraft, the company began by designing terrestrial mag-lev train cars and, over several centuries, became primarily associated with industrial spacecraft.<ref name="galactapedia">Template:Cite RSI</ref> The company is a partner of the StarCitizen:UEE Navy and StarCitizen:Shubin Interstellar.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref><ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref><ref name="portfolio">Template:Cite RSI</ref> Argo's spacecraft are characterized by an industrial aesthetic with an orange and black livery, expansive cockpit views divided by metal support bars, and orange user interfaces.

History

The company was founded as AR-Go Technologies in 2243 by StarCitizen:Alana Redmond, an assistant engineer of mag-lev trains, on StarCitizen:Earth, Sol. The 'AR' in the name referenced Redmond herself.<ref>Template:Cite game</ref> Having grown up alongside the continent-spanning Trans-America rail line, Redmond had a lifelong interest in trains. In her spare time, she invented a tool to automatically repair weak points in mag-lev tracks. After encouragement from her parents to patent and market the tool, she filed articles of incorporation and accepted investments from interested parties. The commercial release of the tool was an immediate success, and over the following decades AR-Go focused on improving rail travel. The company's innovations included a faster cargo latch and lock, new passenger management systems, and a vibratory recharger.<ref name="galactapedia" />

Shortly after acquiring Todairo Manufacture and rebranding as Argo Transportation, the company was awarded a contract to design and manufacture the entire rail transportation system for the newly founded city of StarCitizen:Port Renatus on StarCitizen:Mars. Personally planned by Redmond, the design was a success, and the company went on to produce train networks on other worlds, including the Prime Transit Metrorail on StarCitizen:Terra and the Municipal Transit Line on StarCitizen:Angeli.<ref name="galactapedia" />

Seeking to further improve its services and networks, Argo invested some of the profits from these projects into a team of designers tasked with identifying and correcting common delay issues in rail cargo. The team found that waiting for unloaders at spaceports led to significant periods of inactivity. In response, Argo purchased Telluman Shipworks with the intention of building its own loader spacecraft, which resulted in the Argo Orbital Utility Craft (OUC).<ref name="galactapedia" />

The OUC was capable of unloading stock cargo containers from Argo railways and moving their contents to orbital stations more quickly and economically than traditional heavy lift transports. This proved attractive to multiple industries, which purchased the OUC and adapted it to a wide variety of uses. In 2619, Argo began offering a new model of the OUC to the public under the MPUV brand name. Sales of this ship were profitable enough that the company shifted its focus from rail work to industrial spacecraft.<ref name="galactapedia" />

In 2665, the company renamed itself Argo Astronautics in recognition of its new focus as an industrial spacecraft developer. Over the following centuries, it diversified its portfolio, first by offering other models of the MPUV, including people carriers, recovery pods, and repair modules, and then by developing additional job-specific industrial ships. While the MPUV remains its bestselling product, Argo also produces shuttlecraft, low-atmosphere skippers, and reentry pods.<ref name="galactapedia" />

References

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