Aster › Space program › Heliopause Beacon
Heliopause Beacon
Position on the route: 99/157 · level needed 1 · journey (Mk0 engine) 108.6 h
By the numbers
| Place | The edge of the Sun’s bubble, ≈ 122 AU |
|---|---|
| Power | 48 RTGs + a fission reactor |
| Communications | a 70 m dish |
| Berths | 12 per member |
The story
Heliopause Beacon is a beacon standing just at the edge of the Sun’s magnetic bubble, where the solar wind meets interstellar space. Voyager 1 crossed that edge in 2012 at 121.6 AU and Voyager 2 in 2018 at 119 AU. The beacon sits exactly there.
Power comes only from RTGs and a fission reactor. Solar-wind and galactic-cosmic-ray instruments run on it; the port is also a staging dock for interstellar journeys.
Missions
- Real counterparts: Voyager 1 (2012) and Voyager 2 (2018), IBEX
Colony note
A port, not a settlement. Only members of the Terra Empire may dock (join from the War tab).
What probes bring back
- The heliopause is where the solar wind meets interstellar space: Voyager 1 crossed it in 2012 at 121.6 AU, Voyager 2 in 2018 at 119 AU.
- Beyond it the Sun’s magnetic bubble ends; galactic cosmic rays are much stronger.