By the numbers: the Meridian Colony Ark

Engineers love numbers, so here they are for the Meridian Colony Ark. This Colony ship packs a lot into a 2,400 m airframe.

Flight deck: 12 seats for pilots, with bunks for a full complement of 340. Payload capacity: 260,000 tonnes.

Propulsion: Helium-3 fusion pellets, with consumption of roughly 3.9 tonnes per 100 AU. That supports an endurance of 300 AU and a sprint velocity of 410 km/s.

First flight: May 2186. Commissioning fee: from ₡8,950 million.