AO-1 Minnow

Small, fast, sleek, effective, cheap. The Minnow is one of the more common shuttle ships available. While it is arguably the most efficient and trustworthy on the market, its traits can be beaten by other, less well-known shuttles.

However, due to its brand name and Earth origin, it is a staple for Earth based transport and shuttle companies, and sometimes military. It is unique in that it operates entirely on electricity, meaning it needs to be charged by a station or ship between flights. The ship does possess backup solar energy panels, but most tend to remove those in favor of reducing mass or refitting it with a generator.

It is long and thin in appearance, with the cockpit located in the front much like a commercial airplane. It possesses four thrusters, two on each side, with two large ones located at the very back, and two smaller ones located behind the entry ramp in the front. The long solar panels are located slightly above and below the passenger windows. When needed, they move over the then shielded windows to cover them.

A Minnow can carry anything between 20 and 60 passengers, and its carrying space can be converted for cargo. The average Minnow is composed of three rooms, an engine room, a passenger room, and the cockpit. When re-entering or exiting atmosphere, the windows of a Minnow will be covered by protective metal shielding. Due to the simplicity of the shuttle, it is often extensively modified.