Phase 4 – Transforming the most suitable asteroids into self-sustaining, hollowed-out bases of operations that provide full life support, accommodation, recreation, docking, maintenance, and long-term expansion capability.
Hollowing begins after operator consent under IPLS-3.1.4-001. Selected asteroids are converted into permanent habitats and operational hubs. Profitability is not the gate.
Crew deploy after the IPLS-3.1-018 conditions and operator consent. Profitability is not a crew-safety gate. Command stays with the operator.
Requirement: Each hollowing campaign and each new chamber is irreversible and waits for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. Excavation uses structural monitoring per IPLS-3.1-020. On a 3.1-020 alert, excavation holds and only the operator resumes it. The 3.0 safety factor stands; its load cases are unset. On sensor disagreement, excavation holds. Excavation assets follow the lost-link rule on IPLS-3.1-014.
Rationale: Prevents catastrophic collapse and guarantees long-term pressure integrity for multi-century habitation.
Open Questions: None at v0.6
Requirement: The operator selects the gravity method. ASI proposals are advisory. Target gravity, spin rate, and gradient are unset. Whether a habitable zone is a UMP module inside the excavation or a pressurised rock chamber is unset.
Rationale: Ensures physiological and psychological health for biological and post-biological crews across centuries.
Requirement: Every hollowed base shall incorporate standardised ECLSS resource coupling ports and pressurisation hardpoints directly compatible with Life Support & Closed-Loop Ecology systems (3.1.5).
Rationale: Crew arrival follows IPLS-3.1-018 and waits for operator consent. Self-sufficiency remains the open question on IPLS-3.1-015.
Requirement: Hollowed bases shall include pressurised internal docking bays and outfitting zones, hot-swappable by UMP-CARGO-001 and UMP-HOTSWAP-001. PIS-v1 is an upgrade path. The largest vessel class an internal bay takes is unset.
Rationale: Transforms the asteroid into a true operational hub and shipyard without external exposure.
Requirement: The regolith layer alone shall meet the dose limit. RSS-v1 is an upgrade path. The dose limit and minimum regolith depth are unset.
Rationale: Provides multi-century protection far from Earth supply lines.
Requirement: Enlargement and daughter-colony seeding each wait for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. Seeding follows IPLS-3.1-015. Excavation attaches by UMP-MECH-001 and UMP-ROBOTIC-001. SRS-v1 promotion is unset. IPLS-3.1.4-001 applies to every enlargement. Whether adjacent occupied volumes are vacated is unset.
Rationale: Enables exponential growth without compromising existing operations or safety.
Requirement: Critical habitat functions shall expose physical overrides. A person on site may use an override to preserve life inside the IPLS-5.1-002 envelope. Each use is logged and reported to the operator and confers no operator authority. Whether a veto can stop a life-preserving action already running is unset.
Rationale: Preserves operator authority under IPLS-5.1-002.
Requirement: Base infrastructure shall be designed for at least 200 years. Life-critical systems remain at the 500-year figure in IPLS-3.1-016. TSP-v1 readiness criteria remain the open question on IPLS-3.1-016.
Rationale: Ensures the habitat remains operational across centuries even as frontier technologies evolve.
Requirement: Hollowed bases shall incorporate standardised maglev tubes, heavy-lift elevators, and automated cargo systems fully integrated with UMP hardpoints and Internal Transportation Systems (3.1.8).
Rationale: Enables rapid, low-energy movement of people, cargo, and materials throughout the large internal volume, turning the asteroid into a cohesive city-scale habitat.
Requirement: Hollowed bases shall provide large-scale green spaces, entertainment facilities, and psychological support zones fully integrated with Recreation, Entertainment, Psychological & Social Systems (3.1.9) via UMP hardpoints.
Rationale: Maintains long-term mental health and social cohesion for crews that may live for centuries.
Requirement: Hollowed bases shall include dedicated medical suites and regenerative-medicine labs fully integrated with Medical & Regenerative Medicine Facilities (3.1.10) and UMP hardpoints.
Rationale: Provides on-site hospital-grade care and future ASI-enabled regenerative therapies without Earth dependency.
Requirement: Crew arrival follows IPLS-3.1-018 and waits for operator consent under IPLS-5.1-002. Profitability is not a crew-safety gate. Command stays with the operator. The automated gate can block crew arrival and cannot grant it.
Rationale: Crew arrival does not move command. Handover remains cargo routing and docking only.