Union Spaceport Control Authority

Union Spaceport Control Authority (USCA) The USCA is the Assembly authorized agency that classifies space ports. There are space port classes and space port types. Spaceport Class refers to the size and the type of facilities available. (See Space port classes) Space port types refer to: Civilian, Military, and private, Freight, Freight/Passenger, Civ/Mil and SP-Terminals = for detailed info, see Spaceport Types. The USCA controls and maintains all Union Spaceports under the Assembly Union Traffic Development act of 3000 (last ratified in 5050) Providing free and unhindered travel, free and problem free commerce between all Union citizens and Union space destinations has always and from the start been a major concern to the Assembly. The Union Post Office, the semi-Union official XChange program, the Space bus initiative and subsidy program are testament to the successful support of travel and commerce. Commerce, travel and communication are seen as the foundation of the harmonious growth of the Union as a new multi-cultural civilization. Every colony and new member word thus has the right to be connected and efforts are made to accomplish that as soon as possible. Certain installations such as a Post office with GalNet terminal are first, but neither XChange nor Space Bus can operate without at least the most basic port facilities. Therefore every Union location such as colonies, planets, stations, moons, occupied asteroids (registered as U‭nion) must have facilities that either provide access to a space port with Space bus service (such as local shuttle services, system trams or TransMatter Connections. (every Union system must have at least one space bus serviced Space Port).

Union space ports are constructed, maintained and crewed by federal funds. The ground or area the spaceport occupies is therefore always Union or federal ground and all Union laws apply. Local laws have no effect. Space ports have basically four areas: Landing field, Federal passenger service area, freight area and Common Concourse.

The USCA controls and maintains the Union Spaceports. It hires and maintains personnel, spaceport security, provides janitorial services and rents or leases facilities for businesses that want to do business at a space port. The USCA provides the official Spaceport classification (Class A through F) and  the more specific location code used by the USCA, the Space bus authority and Navigators ( Location, Class, Type, Federal authorization . For example BLM-A-PFM-9949495952 (Blue Moon, Class A –Passenger, Freight, Military) The USCA may hire local contractors to maintain, run and operate F to X space ports[1]. Technical and janitorial services may also be provided by contractors for A,B,C,D and E ports but these contractors are subject to stringent service level agreements. The USCA maintains its own Space Port Security Force. It has federal police authority on any federal port, but nowhere else. USCA is headquartered at Blue Moon and maintains a Training facility and Security force academy there.[2] The USCA is part of the Assembly trade and commerce council  (TRADE).

[1] Class X can technically be a federal Spaceport if it is a port facility on a new member world (Prim society) that just joined, the ground has been cleared by Union engineers, construction is scheduled but has not yet commenced. [2] On spaceports that are maintained by the fleet and have a civilian part, security is provided by the Union Marine Corps, but the civilian part is otherwise under USCA control