Meet our Fleet #2 - Narada, Our Crown Jewel
26 Sep 2019Rex-Cramer
Continuing our series on the ships of our fleet we look at the newest addition to the operation: Narada.In coming to Colonia our primary goal was to explore a frontier region and take advantage of the opportunity to earn credits in support of this new region. Narada is the symbol of success in this endeavor. Narada is an Anaconda with a focus on mining. Once we had banked in about CR 350M we looked at purchasing the hull and modules needed to make it effective as a mining vessel. This ship would replace the Krait MK2 that was used to fund it. It represents a significant upgrade in capability and expense for us but it is of course our new pride and joy.
Narada (A wandering sage in ancient Hindu) can haul 256 tons of refined material. It can mine using standard laser mining tools as well as deep-core charges. It has a jump range of about 35LY (26 Fully laden) and can make about 140LY (110 laden) on 32 tons of fuel. With 6 collector drones it can rapidly collect the results of it's dual medium sized mining lasers. It is also well equipped to do local exploration and prospecting and exploitation of planetary surfaces. In fact on it's initial voyage and first landing we were able to rescue six escape pods as well as collect a number of rare raw materials. The generous landing gear height is welcome on planetary surfaces although suitable landing locations can be harder to find.
Many people view the Anaconda as a laser, strip-mining only rig but we believe that view is unwarranted. While it is a large vessel and not as easily positioned it is still quite effective as a core miner. Careful consideration of the asteroid and it's neighbors will allow you to place charges where needed in the time alloted. Engineering and top-quality thrusters will go a long way to making this large ship a bit more nimble. Certainly shields are non-negotiable if you decide to use this vessel for core mining but the sacrifice of a little cargo will mean that you can have maximum flexibility to take advantage of prime material in any form with safety. Yes, we've rubbed against a few rocks already but with significant shields we've not even scuffed the paint. So far with about 600 tons of material hauled the ship has paid for itself and then some. There are still modules that need attention but with further runs we should be able to address those soon.
