Cirdotos class

The Cirdotos class was a type of civilian cruiser designed and produced by Terran Orbital Construction after they won the legal case over the Sirius Drive Project with the Aurora Drive Yards. The Cirdotos is a unique ship type as it can land on almost any planetary surface due to its extensive engine layout. Almost no ship this size can achieve this feat, aside from the later constructed Hercules class and dedicated cargo landers.

The ship class was the result of a lenghty rivalry between Terran Orbital Construction and the Aurora Drive Yards, and was meant to outshine the Dyson class constructed by ADY.

The ship made use of a Sirius MK5 drive section that was compatible with other Sirius drive sections, allowing for more generalised maintenance programs. Many considered the Cirdotos class to be over-engineered and expensive to achieve the feature of planetary landing, something that was traditionally done by small craft or dedicated cargo landers. Its extensive hangar deck and large interior space made up for this problem, but the ship class was still not a succes initially. Only after the much more expensive Hercules class began to enter the market was it that entrepreneurs began taking the Cirdotos class seriously.

The Cirdotos was a favorite of the Federation's ministry of internal affairs however, as the ship was useful in assisting planetary development and colonization processes. Ships of this class were also present in the evacuation of the Saris System during its Nova in 2324 and the rebuilding efforts of Concordia and Bersalis after the Vrox Rampage.

The ship class was named after Federation president Virdilio Cirdotos after he negotiated a huge construction project with Terran Orbital Construction, which the company was grateful for.