Satellites and spacecraft appear and are mentioned throughout the Fallout setting.
Satellites[]
Satellites consist of man-made objects which are propelled into orbit around the Earth. They are used for various purposes, among them communication, surveillance, and even warfare. Decades have passed since these satellites were first sent into orbit and they have become derelict, with several functions disabled by collisions with space debris or falling back down to the Earth's surface.
Bradley-Hercules[]
Bradley-Hercules is an orbital weapons platform deployed into space sometime prior to 2077 by the United States military and left dormant. It carried a payload of eight salvos of nuclear missiles potentially capable of targeting any location in the world. By 2277, it had been rediscovered by the Enclave, who controlled it through the mobile base crawler at Adams Air Force Base. The satellite had survived relatively unscathed through the centuries, and four missile salvos were successfully used to destroy Liberty Prime during the events of Broken Steel. The remaining salvos could be used to destroy the crawler after the defeat of the Enclave by the Brotherhood of Steel, or the Citadel, the Brotherhood's fortress.
Highwater-Trousers[]
Highwater-Trousers is a U.S. orbital weapons platform like Bradley-Hercules which was armed with eight micro-nuclear bombs which were also never used. In Fallout 3, an unnamed scientist was able to reestablish contact with Highwater-Trousers through SatCom Array NW-05a, but the array's targeting mechanism had fallen into disrepair. Without replacement rotors for the array, the satellite could not be re-targeted and was locked on the area around the array tower. When the satellite was activated, the bombs fell harmlessly on the nearby rock formations.
Kovac-Muldoon[]
The Kovac-Muldoon Platform is an automated support satellite located in geosynchronous orbit above Appalachia, slaved to the Whitespring Congressional Bunker and its governing artificial intelligence, MODUS. Launched in the terminal years of the United States, the Kovac-Muldoon was a mighty system providing the bunker's denizens with an eye on Appalachia, complete with the ability to launch orbital missile strikes. To minimize the threat of detection and destruction, the K-M was also equipped with the latest in anti-detection systems, however these systems put more strain on the platform's reactor than was initially thought, giving it a reduced lifespan compared to later platforms such as the Bradley-Hercules.
USA-1103[]
The USA-1103 was one of the satellites used by the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel to communicate with Lost Hills.[1]
ARCHIMEDES II[]
The ARCHIMEDES II satellite is an energy-based artillery satellite built by Poseidon Energy, the technology of which is centralized at HELIOS One in the Mojave Wasteland. Unlike its predecessor, ARCHIMEDES I, which is a defense system specifically for HELIOS One, ARCHIMEDES II is an orbital laser that can be utilized offsite, within a limited radius from the HELIOS One collection arrays.
Crashed satellite (Old World Blues)[]
The crashed satellite is a crashed United States satellite found in the Mojave Drive-in in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Old World Blues. The Courier can pick up a signal on their Pip-Boy 3000 known as the mysterious broadcast. This signal begins the quest Midnight Science Fiction Feature! The crashed satellite is found in the middle of the drive-in with its panels still twitching. Around 23:00 to 1:00, it will flicker on, projecting an image of an eye on the drive-in screen. Activating the satellite will transport one to Big MT and begin the quest Welcome to the Big Empty.
Valiant-1[]
Valiant-1 is a United States Space Administration space station that once orbited Earth before the Great War. It was left in orbit after the war but orbital decay after a lack of thrust maintenance led the space station to fall back to Earth and crash in the former state of West Virginia.
Crashed satellite (Fallout 76)[]
A random encounter in Fallout 76 involves finding a satellite crashed somewhere within Appalachia, which may be surrounded by various creatures such as the Scorched. The satellite contains many high-tech resources.
 | The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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B.O.M.B.-001[]
Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 001 was an orbital weapons platform with a capacity for 24 nuclear missiles and designed to be manned by a crew of six astronauts. Two were built by the United States government in 2073 as the ultimate offensive weapons, but were never used in the Great War. B.O.M.B.-002 was knocked out of orbit nearly two centuries after the War, but B.O.M.B.-001, equipped with only eight missiles at the time, was rediscovered sometime prior to 2253 and featured in the plot of Van Buren. NCR scientist Victor Presper would have tried to use the satellite in an attempt to rid the world of chaos and human impurities.
B.O.M.B.-002[]
Identical to design and purpose as B.O.M.B.-001, Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 002 would have been knocked out of orbit some time before the game and its wreckage could be found in the Grand Canyon.
B.O.M.B.-003[]
The third B.O.M.B. satellite, Ballistic Orbital Missile Base 003 was still under construction at the Bloomfield Space Center at the time of the Great War. The player would have been able to restore Bloomfield's sub-reactor efficiency to learn more about the satellites, foreshadowing the final battle aboard B.O.M.B.-001.
Argus satellite[]
The Argus satellite was a focus of both the ZAX of Boulder Dome and Victor Prepser. The computer was working on calculating where Argus crashed for Presper as its black box was needed to unlock the codes that command B.O.M.B.-001.
| End of information based on Van Buren design documents |
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Spacecraft and rockets[]
Spacecraft and rockets are vehicles capable of flight which can escape the gravitational bounds of a planet. Spacecraft developed on Earth were used to briefly convey astronauts into space or to land on the Moon, but technology had not advanced enough prior to the Great War for space flight to be a common occurrence, or for humans to explore other planets and moons in the Solar System. The United States space program and U.S.-built vehicles are mentioned in detail throughout several Fallout games.
ESS Quetzel[]
The ESS Quetzel is a reusable nuclear-powered spacecraft built before the Great War. The Quetzel is located in the ruins of San Francisco, on the remains of the Golden Gate Bridge, though it lacks rocket boosters and requires repair to resume operation.
Defiance 7[]
Defiance 7 was the space capsule piloted by American astronaut Carl Bell in a historic mission on May 5, 1961. Bell became the first human to reach space but was subsequently killed as the capsule re-entered Earth's atmosphere and was destroyed.
Clarabella 7[]
Sometime after Bell's flight, USAF Col. Hartigan was abducted by Zetan aliens during his spaceflight, and he and his space capsule Clarabella 7 were taken aboard Mothership Zeta. The capsule is still on display there, in a lab of the main hangar.
Delta IX rocket[]
The Delta IX rocket was a spacecraft model originally commissioned by the United States Space Administration in 2020 for manned missions to the Moon. As tensions increased between the U.S. and China, however, the Delta IX program was usurped by the U.S. military in 2052. The remaining Delta IX rockets were equipped with nuclear payloads, effectively making them intercontinental-capable missiles.
Delta XI rocket[]
Built after the earlier Delta IX, the Delta XI rocket was completed and launched some time shortly before the start of REPCONN's history in 2054.
Valiant 11[]
The Valiant 11 mission involved the Virgo II Lunar lander built by the United States Space Administration. Valiant 11 successfully landed the Virgo II on the Moon on July 16, 1969, and the astronauts onboard became the first humans to walk on a celestial body other than Earth.
Valiant 12[]
The Valiant 12 mission involved the Virgo III Lunar lander built by the United States Space Administration. Valiant 12 landed the Virgo III on the Moon on November 14, 1969, the second manned spacecraft to do so.
V29-321G rocket[]
The V29-321G rocket was one of REPCONN Aerospace's models. It became infamous after an incident that destroyed the company's launch test site, although the company responded optimistically, noting that an important lesson was learned in the creation of explosion-resistant shielding for both their rockets and their launch sites.
R77-293A Needlenose rocket[]
The R77-293A Needlenose rocket was one of REPCONN Aerospace's models. The rocket featured a hybrid fossil fuel/plasma engine design. The former was used to break free of Earth's gravitational pull, the latter intended to bring the rocket to other planets for mining operations.
Z43-521P rocket[]
The Z43-521P rocket was one of REPCONN Aerospace's models. After the failure of the rocket was widely publicized, exploding in a residential neighborhood, the company focused on refining the design. The plasma engine formed the basis for the later development of the Q-35 matter modulator and a new line of plasma rifles.
REPCONN rocket[]
The REPCONN rocket is a spacecraft developed by REPCONN Aerospace. Housed at the REPCONN test site in the Mojave Wasteland, a group known as the Bright Brotherhood aims to make the rockets operational once more after the Great War.
Unnamed rocket[]
An unnamed rocket is displayed on the Museum of Freedom mural showcasing the "many sacrifices of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces." The rocket is in the section of the mural featuring space-themed events, and is specifically between the moon landing and power-armored soldier. It appears similar to the real-world Saturn family of rockets.
| The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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Hermes-XIII[]
Hermes-XIII was a rocket intended for the first manned mission to Mars. The looming threat of nuclear war cut the mission before it even began, however, and Hermes-XIII was converted into a shuttle to convey personnel and the necessary activation codes to the B.O.M.B.-001 installation in 2074. This mission was also canceled as resources were diverted from the U.S. space program to other efforts. In 2076, the Enclave seized the Bloomfield Space Center, where the vehicle was housed and intended to use Hermes-XIII to evacuate an elite few to another world; this plan also never came to fruition, and the Hermes-XIII rocket was abandoned just as the Great War broke out.
Hermes-14[]
Hermes-14 was a rocket built to travel to Mars, with an expected launch date of summer 2078. However, as the war with China intensified, the Enclave and Department of Defense agents seized control of the space center and tried to retrofit the rockets for travel to B.O.M.B.-002 and another planet, where the American way of life would be preserved.
| End of information based on Van Buren design documents |
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Alien spacecraft[]
Aliens from other worlds have created spacecraft to travel to Earth.
Flying saucer[]
The flying saucer is a small alien ship with a saucer-shaped body that houses two pilots. The craft was captured by humans and re-captured by aliens, subsequently crashing in California.
Mothership Zeta[]
Mothership Zeta is a spacecraft built and used by the aliens and appears in the Fallout 3 add-on Mothership Zeta.
Recon Craft Theta[]
Recon craft Theta was an extraterrestrial reconnaissance spacecraft used to covertly scout out the Earth for unknown reasons. It crash-landed in the Capital Wasteland at some point after the Great War, killing the pilot. The wreckage broadcasted a distress signal which was intercepted by Mothership Zeta in 2277.
Alien mothership[]
The alien mothership was a spacecraft built and used by the aliens, and appears as the final obstacle in the Fallout 3 add-on Mothership Zeta.
Palandine[]
Palandine was the codename given by the United States government to an alien ship that crashed in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Alien recon craft[]
The alien recon craft is a hovering anomaly located north of Horowitz farmstead with the Wild Wasteland trait. It is almost identical to recon craft Theta, with the only difference being its pristine state. Further down the hill are two aliens and one alien captain. The alien captain wields a laser pistol while an alien blaster can be obtained upon death. The two other aliens both use tri-beam laser rifles, which can also be obtained upon their deaths.
References[]
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