{"data":{"id":19406,"title":"Whitley's Guide - Constellation Phoenix","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/19406-Whitleys-Guide-Constellation-Phoenix","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/19406","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/19406","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"},{"id":31458,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/jkyny550a90um\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":926248,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2020-07-24T11:53:55+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/31458","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/31458\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 6.10.\nConstellation Phoenix\nDEVELOPMENT HISTORY\nThe Phoenix is a variant of the standard Constellation platform developed as Roberts Space Industries\u2019 first luxury-market spacecraft. When the development of the Phoenix variant was first announced in 2935, it seemed to be an unusual direction for Roberts Space Industries, a company that had made its name offering affordable spacecraft \u201cto the people\u201d. The Phoenix\u2019s origin story is appropriately unusual: the variant project began following the brief success of a Spectrum series called Spacecraft of the Elite. The series premiered in 2932 and showed off top tier luxury spacecraft owned by the rich and powerful, which spawned a \u2018custom interior\u2019 design trend for spacecraft. This led to the creation of numerous luxury brands dedicated to enhancing more common spacecraft designs. It also landed at exactly the time Roberts Space Industries\u2019 Astro Development Team (ADT) was studying options for a fourth production variant of the time-tested Constellation.\n\nThe development team (led by longtime RSI designer Jules Parliegh), began by taking a stock 2934 model year Constellation Mark III chassis and outfitting it with new interior supports. The final prototype seems unrecognizable when compared to what would ultimately become the first Phoenix, but this test was focused solely on under-the-deck modifications that would go on to support the eventual overhaul. The major challenge at this point wasn\u2019t so much the luxury styling as it was adapting and reworking the ship\u2019s design to support a wider variety of changes. Incorporating the hot tub, later made famous by the variant\u2019s marketing campaign, required a major revision of the stock plumbing and waste disposal systems. The makeshift prototype was also outfitted with improved shields and privacy systems in the expectation that a luxury spacecraft would likely need such protections to stand out in its much more specific role.\n\nBUILDING PARTNERSHIPS\nWith a prototype in hand, Roberts Space Industries turned to another major challenge: how to redefine their workman-like multi-crew vehicle as a luxury object that would appeal to those who would traditionally choose an Origin design. Their solution was as much marketing as design. To make the Phoenix work, the ADT understood that they needed to partner with long-standing luxury brands instead of simply presenting their vision as the ultimate in high-class space travel. To that end, the company brought in a roster of household names known for producing the best of the best:\n\nDesigner Emil Quast, best known for his decadent design of Terra\u2019s \u2018Flowhaus\u2019 public assembly building was brought in to design the Phoenix\u2019s luxury interior. ADT designers had initially constructed their own concept plan featuring plush leather furniture and extreme soft lighting. Quast threw out the existing designs, refusing to even look beyond the first page of the plan and instead created the first iteration of the elegant cabin the Phoenix is known for today.\n\nThe Wintle Design Company, most familiar for offering high-end luxury craft goods, was given the task of equipping the master suite and the first version of the hot tub. Wintle spent 18 months researching the creation of what they called a \u2018complete sleep system\u2019 to replace the standard Constellation fixtures, aimed at adding every comfort possible to the typically utilitarian process of sleeping starside.\n\nKruger Intergalactic was brought back to create an updated version of the P-52 Merlin bundled with standard-model Constellations. Their team developed the high-performance P-72 Archimedes to replace the Merlin, although tooling delays caused initial production Phoenixes to ship with a Merlin instead. While the Merlin was purchased under license, RSI opted to buy exclusive rights to the Archimedes in order to prevent its use by other manufacturers.\n\nAtuvo, creators of the Foodsparce System, provided a licensed reworking of their signature Atuvo state table and kitchen system. Atuvo\u2019s engineers spent months refactoring their existing food technologies to fit into the small area allowed on the Phoenix due to a contractual obligation to make sure the resources available aboard the Phoenix were identical to those found in the finest kitchens. One partnership did not work out as intended: luxury vehicle builder Kremner Ltd. was charged with developing a replacement for the RSI Ursa Rover. Kremner Ltd. declared bankruptcy in the middle of the development process, forcing the team to scramble to find a replacement. RSI\u2019s own vehicle team ultimately developed the Lynx Rover variant specifically for the Phoenix.\n\nTo make the first production prototype possible, RSI gathered all the involved licensees (over one hundred in total) at their development facility on Earth. Representatives from each company were incorporated into the ADT process for the remainder of the Phoenix\u2019s development cycle, allowing them visibility over not just their area of the ship\u2019s design, but to provide feedback on everything else being built. The prototype construction stage took roughly two years and concluded with space trials for a unique variant of the then-current Constellation Mark III. The Mark III Constellation had fewer hull changes for variants than the Mark IV, allowing more custom experimentation during the prototype phase.\n\nThe Phoenix development team was also given unprecedented access to the work of the much larger Constellation Mark IV team, with the expectation that the variant would premiere as part of the launch planned for 2942. Delays relating to the Mark IV rework moved the launch to 2944, giving the Phoenix team an opportunity to soft launch the design. Starting in 2941, Roberts Space Industries\u2019 representatives were allowed to offer interested parties Mark III conversions that introduced the Phoenix concept. The Mark IIIs were upgraded to Phoenix status in the lab at Valatie using factory-fresh base Constellations. Only a handful of conversions were constructed, with most purchased by RSI\u2019s trusted partner corporations for executive operations.\n\nProduction of the Phoenix variant of the Constellation Mark IV began in earnest in June 2944 alongside a media blitz intended to remind buyers of Roberts Space Industries\u2019 prestigious history. The company produced advertisements featuring their original model Quantum Drive and sponsored multiple documentaries focusing on humankind\u2019s early interstellar expansion. All production model Phoenixes are constructed to base specifications alongside the other model Constellations at RSI\u2019s Albany plant and then ferried to a special facility at Luna for the installation of their interiors and other unique features.\n\nThe first Constellation Phoenix sold went to rock star Ellroy Cass. The ship was commissioned by the then-head of RSI Outreach, Thar Obson, and personally delivered to Cass. Orders for corporate executive fleets and private citizens seeking a luxury experience came in quickly, selling out the first year\u2019s production allotment of Phoenixes in a matter of days.\n\nA single \u2018centennial\u2019 Constellation Phoenix has been constructed in honor of a 2946 production milestone for the entire Constellation range. This unique Phoenix features a metallic gold livery and an interior exhaustingly detailed in 24 karat gold. This Phoenix was not offered for sale and the only example remains owned by Roberts Space Industries, who have occasionally used it for trade shows and other marketing pushes.\n\nIn 2948, Roberts Space Industries premiered a variant-of-a-variant, the Constellation Phoenix Emerald, as competition with Origin\u2019s new model of 600 series spacecraft became more serious. The Emerald featured a \u2018lucky\u2019 green paint scheme and a variant interior cabin design. Emeralds were produced in extremely limited numbers and have not become part of the normal production process. Market analysts believe that Roberts Space Industries is happy with the positioning of the Phoenix despite increased competition from Origin and others. Less than one percent of Constellation fuselages become Phoenixes, and although the model generates between five and seven percent of the total profits for the line depending on year, it is expected that the company will continue to produce Phoenixes for the foreseeable future.","de_DE":"Dieser Artikel erschien urspr\u00fcnglich in Jump Point 6.10.\nKonstellation Phoenix\nENTWICKLUNGSGESCHICHTE\nDie Phoenix ist eine Variante der Standard-Constellation-Plattform, die als erstes Raumschiff von Roberts Space Industries f\u00fcr den Luxusmarkt entwickelt wurde. Als die Entwicklung der Phoenix-Variante im Jahr 2935 zum ersten Mal angek\u00fcndigt wurde, schien dies eine ungew\u00f6hnliche Richtung f\u00fcr Roberts Space Industries zu sein, ein Unternehmen, das sich einen Namen damit gemacht hatte, erschwingliche Raumfahrzeuge \"f\u00fcr das Volk\" anzubieten. Die Entstehungsgeschichte des Phoenix ist dementsprechend ungew\u00f6hnlich: Das Variantenprojekt begann nach dem kurzen Erfolg einer Spectrum-Serie namens Spacecraft of the Elite. Die Serie wurde 2932 erstmals ausgestrahlt und zeigte luxuri\u00f6se Raumschiffe der Reichen und M\u00e4chtigen, was einen Trend zur individuellen Gestaltung von Raumschiffen ausl\u00f6ste. Dies f\u00fchrte zur Gr\u00fcndung zahlreicher Luxusmarken, die sich der Aufwertung gew\u00f6hnlicher Raumschiffdesigns widmeten. Au\u00dferdem landete sie genau zu dem Zeitpunkt, als das Astro Development Team (ADT) von Roberts Space Industries Optionen f\u00fcr eine vierte Produktionsvariante der bew\u00e4hrten Constellation pr\u00fcfte.\n\nDas Entwicklungsteam (unter der Leitung des langj\u00e4hrigen RSI-Konstrukteurs Jules Parliegh) begann damit, ein Constellation Mark III-Chassis aus dem Modelljahr 2934 zu nehmen und es mit neuen Innenausstattungen auszustatten. Der endg\u00fcltige Prototyp ist nicht wiederzuerkennen, wenn man ihn mit dem ersten Phoenix vergleicht, aber dieser Test konzentrierte sich ausschlie\u00dflich auf die Modifikationen unter dem Deck, die die sp\u00e4tere \u00dcberholung unterst\u00fctzen sollten. Die gr\u00f6\u00dfte Herausforderung zu diesem Zeitpunkt war nicht so sehr das luxuri\u00f6se Styling, sondern die Anpassung und \u00dcberarbeitung des Schiffsdesigns, um eine gr\u00f6\u00dfere Anzahl von \u00c4nderungen zu erm\u00f6glichen. Der Einbau des Whirlpools, der sp\u00e4ter durch die Marketingkampagne der Variante ber\u00fchmt wurde, erforderte eine umfassende \u00dcberarbeitung der vorhandenen Sanit\u00e4r- und Abwassersysteme. Der behelfsm\u00e4\u00dfige Prototyp wurde au\u00dferdem mit verbesserten Schutzschilden und Sichtschutzsystemen ausgestattet, da man davon ausging, dass ein Luxusraumschiff solche Schutzvorrichtungen ben\u00f6tigen w\u00fcrde, um sich in seiner viel spezielleren Rolle abzuheben.\n\nAUFBAU VON PARTNERSCHAFTEN\nMit dem Prototyp in der Hand wandte sich Roberts Space Industries einer weiteren gro\u00dfen Herausforderung zu: Wie konnte man das arbeiter\u00e4hnliche Fahrzeug mit mehreren Besatzungsmitgliedern als Luxusobjekt neu definieren, das auch diejenigen anspricht, die sich traditionell f\u00fcr ein Origin-Design entscheiden w\u00fcrden? Ihre L\u00f6sung war sowohl Marketing als auch Design. Um den Phoenix zum Erfolg zu f\u00fchren, verstand ADT, dass sie mit langj\u00e4hrigen Luxusmarken zusammenarbeiten mussten, anstatt ihre Vision einfach als das Nonplusultra der hochklassigen Raumfahrt zu pr\u00e4sentieren. Zu diesem Zweck holte das Unternehmen eine Reihe bekannter Namen ins Boot, die f\u00fcr die Herstellung der Besten der Besten bekannt sind:\n\nDer Designer Emil Quast, der f\u00fcr sein dekadentes Design des \u00f6ffentlichen Versammlungsgeb\u00e4udes \"Flowhaus\" auf Terra bekannt ist, wurde mit der Gestaltung der luxuri\u00f6sen Innenausstattung des Phoenix beauftragt. Die ADT-Designer hatten zun\u00e4chst ein eigenes Konzept mit pl\u00fcschigen Lederm\u00f6beln und extrem weicher Beleuchtung entworfen. Quast verwarf die bestehenden Entw\u00fcrfe und weigerte sich, \u00fcber die erste Seite des Plans hinauszuschauen. Stattdessen schuf er die erste Version der eleganten Kabine, f\u00fcr die der Phoenix heute bekannt ist.\n\nDas Unternehmen Wintle Design Company, das vor allem f\u00fcr seine hochwertigen Luxusprodukte bekannt ist, erhielt den Auftrag, die Master-Suite und die erste Version des Whirlpools auszustatten. Wintle verbrachte 18 Monate damit, ein so genanntes \"komplettes Schlafsystem\" zu entwickeln, das die Standardausstattung der Constellation ersetzen sollte, um den typisch utilitaristischen Prozess des Schlafens am Sternenhimmel um jeden erdenklichen Komfort zu erweitern.\n\nKruger Intergalactic wurde hinzugezogen, um eine aktualisierte Version des P52 Merlin in Verbindung mit den Standard-Constellations zu entwickeln. Ihr Team entwickelte den leistungsstarken P72 Archimedes, der den Merlin ersetzen sollte, obwohl Verz\u00f6gerungen bei der Werkzeugherstellung dazu f\u00fchrten, dass die ersten Phoenixe mit einem Merlin ausgeliefert wurden. W\u00e4hrend der Merlin in Lizenz gekauft wurde, entschied sich RSI, die Exklusivrechte f\u00fcr den Archimedes zu erwerben, um zu verhindern, dass er von anderen Herstellern verwendet wird.\n\nAtuvo, der Erfinder des Foodsparce-Systems, stellte eine lizenzierte \u00dcberarbeitung seines charakteristischen Atuvo-Tischs und -K\u00fcchensystems zur Verf\u00fcgung. Die Ingenieure von Atuvo verbrachten Monate damit, ihre bestehenden Lebensmitteltechnologien so umzugestalten, dass sie in den kleinen Raum auf der Phoenix passten, da sie vertraglich verpflichtet waren, daf\u00fcr zu sorgen, dass die an Bord der Phoenix verf\u00fcgbaren Ressourcen mit denen in den besten K\u00fcchen identisch waren. Eine Partnerschaft funktionierte nicht wie geplant: Der Hersteller von Luxusfahrzeugen Kremner Ltd. wurde damit beauftragt, einen Ersatz f\u00fcr den RSI Ursa Rover zu entwickeln. Mitten im Entwicklungsprozess meldete Kremner Ltd. Konkurs an und zwang das Team, nach einem Ersatz zu suchen. RSIs eigenes Fahrzeugteam entwickelte schlie\u00dflich die Rover-Variante Lynx speziell f\u00fcr den Phoenix.\n\nUm den ersten Prototyp f\u00fcr die Produktion zu entwickeln, versammelte RSI alle beteiligten Lizenznehmer (insgesamt \u00fcber hundert) in seiner Entwicklungseinrichtung auf der Erde. Vertreter\/innen jedes Unternehmens wurden f\u00fcr den Rest des Phoenix-Entwicklungszyklus in den ADT-Prozess eingebunden, so dass sie nicht nur Einblick in ihren Bereich der Schiffskonstruktion hatten, sondern auch Feedback zu allen anderen Bauteilen geben konnten. Die Bauphase des Prototyps dauerte etwa zwei Jahre und endete mit Weltraumtests f\u00fcr eine einzigartige Variante der damals aktuellen Constellation Mark III. Bei der Constellation Mark III gab es weniger \u00c4nderungen am Rumpf als bei der Mark IV, sodass in der Prototypenphase mehr individuelle Experimente m\u00f6glich waren.\n\nDas Phoenix-Entwicklungsteam erhielt au\u00dferdem einen noch nie dagewesenen Zugang zu den Arbeiten des viel gr\u00f6\u00dferen Constellation Mark IV-Teams, in der Erwartung, dass die Variante im Rahmen des f\u00fcr 2942 geplanten Starts Premiere haben w\u00fcrde. Durch Verz\u00f6gerungen bei der \u00dcberarbeitung von Mark IV wurde der Start auf 2944 verschoben, was dem Phoenix-Team die M\u00f6glichkeit gab, das Design vorzustellen. Ab 2941 durften die Vertreter von Roberts Space Industries interessierten Parteien Mark III-Umbauten anbieten, mit denen das Phoenix-Konzept eingef\u00fchrt wurde. Die Mark IIIs wurden im Labor in Valatie mit fabrikneuen Basis-Constellations auf den Phoenix-Status aufger\u00fcstet. Es wurde nur eine Handvoll Umbauten gebaut, die meisten wurden von RSIs vertrauensw\u00fcrdigen Partnerunternehmen f\u00fcr den Betrieb gekauft.\n\nDie Produktion der Phoenix-Variante der Constellation Mark IV begann im Juni 2944 zusammen mit einer Medienkampagne, die die K\u00e4ufer an die prestigetr\u00e4chtige Geschichte von Roberts Space Industries erinnern sollte. Das Unternehmen produzierte Werbespots mit dem Originalmodell des Quantum Drive und sponserte mehrere Dokumentarfilme \u00fcber die fr\u00fche interstellare Expansion der Menschheit. Alle Serienmodelle der Phoenixe werden zusammen mit den anderen Constellations-Modellen in der RSI-Fabrik in Albany nach den Basisspezifikationen gebaut und dann zu einer speziellen Einrichtung auf Luna transportiert, wo die Innenausstattung und andere einzigartige Merkmale eingebaut werden.\n\nDie erste verkaufte Constellation Phoenix ging an den Rockstar Ellroy Cass. Das Schiff wurde vom damaligen Leiter von RSI Outreach, Thar Obson, in Auftrag gegeben und pers\u00f6nlich an Cass \u00fcbergeben. Die Bestellungen f\u00fcr Unternehmensflotten und Privatpersonen, die ein luxuri\u00f6ses Erlebnis suchten, gingen schnell ein, so dass das erste Produktionskontingent an Phoenixen innerhalb weniger Tage ausverkauft war.\n\nEin einziger \"hundertj\u00e4hriger\" Constellation Phoenix wurde zu Ehren des Produktionsmeilensteins 2946 f\u00fcr die gesamte Constellation-Reihe gebaut. Dieser einzigartige Phoenix hat eine goldene Metallic-Lackierung und eine Innenausstattung, die mit 24 Karat Gold verziert ist. Dieser Phoenix wurde nicht zum Verkauf angeboten und ist das einzige Exemplar im Besitz von Roberts Space Industries, die ihn gelegentlich f\u00fcr Messen und andere Marketingaktionen nutzen.\n\nIm Jahr 2948 stellte Roberts Space Industries eine weitere Variante vor, die Constellation Phoenix Emerald, als der Wettbewerb mit Origins neuem Modell der 600er Serie immer ernster wurde. Die Emerald hatte eine \"gl\u00fccksgr\u00fcne\" Lackierung und ein anderes Kabinendesign. Die Smaragde wurden in extrem begrenzter St\u00fcckzahl produziert und sind nicht Teil des normalen Produktionsprozesses. Marktanalysten glauben, dass Roberts Space Industries mit der Positionierung des Phoenix trotz der verst\u00e4rkten Konkurrenz durch Origin und andere zufrieden ist. Weniger als ein Prozent der Constellation-R\u00fcmpfe werden zu Phoenixes, und obwohl das Modell je nach Jahr zwischen f\u00fcnf und sieben Prozent des Gesamtgewinns der Produktlinie erwirtschaftet, wird erwartet, dass das Unternehmen in absehbarer Zeit weiterhin Phoenixes produzieren wird.","zh_CN":"This article originally appeared in Jump Point 6.10.\nConstellation Phoenix\nDEVELOPMENT HISTORY\nThe Phoenix is a variant of the standard Constellation platform developed as Roberts Space Industries\u2019 first luxury-market spacecraft. When the development of the Phoenix variant was first announced in 2935, it seemed to be an unusual direction for Roberts Space Industries, a company that had made its name offering affordable spacecraft \u201cto the people\u201d. The Phoenix\u2019s origin story is appropriately unusual: the variant project began following the brief success of a Spectrum series called Spacecraft of the Elite. The series premiered in 2932 and showed off top tier luxury spacecraft owned by the rich and powerful, which spawned a \u2018custom interior\u2019 design trend for spacecraft. This led to the creation of numerous luxury brands dedicated to enhancing more common spacecraft designs. It also landed at exactly the time Roberts Space Industries\u2019 Astro Development Team (ADT) was studying options for a fourth production variant of the time-tested Constellation.\n\nThe development team (led by longtime RSI designer Jules Parliegh), began by taking a stock 2934 model year Constellation Mark III chassis and outfitting it with new interior supports. The final prototype seems unrecognizable when compared to what would ultimately become the first Phoenix, but this test was focused solely on under-the-deck modifications that would go on to support the eventual overhaul. The major challenge at this point wasn\u2019t so much the luxury styling as it was adapting and reworking the ship\u2019s design to support a wider variety of changes. Incorporating the hot tub, later made famous by the variant\u2019s marketing campaign, required a major revision of the stock plumbing and waste disposal systems. The makeshift prototype was also outfitted with improved shields and privacy systems in the expectation that a luxury spacecraft would likely need such protections to stand out in its much more specific role.\n\nBUILDING PARTNERSHIPS\nWith a prototype in hand, Roberts Space Industries turned to another major challenge: how to redefine their workman-like multi-crew vehicle as a luxury object that would appeal to those who would traditionally choose an Origin design. Their solution was as much marketing as design. To make the Phoenix work, the ADT understood that they needed to partner with long-standing luxury brands instead of simply presenting their vision as the ultimate in high-class space travel. To that end, the company brought in a roster of household names known for producing the best of the best:\n\nDesigner Emil Quast, best known for his decadent design of Terra\u2019s \u2018Flowhaus\u2019 public assembly building was brought in to design the Phoenix\u2019s luxury interior. ADT designers had initially constructed their own concept plan featuring plush leather furniture and extreme soft lighting. Quast threw out the existing designs, refusing to even look beyond the first page of the plan and instead created the first iteration of the elegant cabin the Phoenix is known for today.\n\nThe Wintle Design Company, most familiar for offering high-end luxury craft goods, was given the task of equipping the master suite and the first version of the hot tub. Wintle spent 18 months researching the creation of what they called a \u2018complete sleep system\u2019 to replace the standard Constellation fixtures, aimed at adding every comfort possible to the typically utilitarian process of sleeping starside.\n\nKruger Intergalactic was brought back to create an updated version of the P-52 Merlin bundled with standard-model Constellations. Their team developed the high-performance P-72 Archimedes to replace the Merlin, although tooling delays caused initial production Phoenixes to ship with a Merlin instead. While the Merlin was purchased under license, RSI opted to buy exclusive rights to the Archimedes in order to prevent its use by other manufacturers.\n\nAtuvo, creators of the Foodsparce System, provided a licensed reworking of their signature Atuvo state table and kitchen system. Atuvo\u2019s engineers spent months refactoring their existing food technologies to fit into the small area allowed on the Phoenix due to a contractual obligation to make sure the resources available aboard the Phoenix were identical to those found in the finest kitchens. One partnership did not work out as intended: luxury vehicle builder Kremner Ltd. was charged with developing a replacement for the RSI Ursa Rover. Kremner Ltd. declared bankruptcy in the middle of the development process, forcing the team to scramble to find a replacement. RSI\u2019s own vehicle team ultimately developed the Lynx Rover variant specifically for the Phoenix.\n\nTo make the first production prototype possible, RSI gathered all the involved licensees (over one hundred in total) at their development facility on Earth. Representatives from each company were incorporated into the ADT process for the remainder of the Phoenix\u2019s development cycle, allowing them visibility over not just their area of the ship\u2019s design, but to provide feedback on everything else being built. The prototype construction stage took roughly two years and concluded with space trials for a unique variant of the then-current Constellation Mark III. The Mark III Constellation had fewer hull changes for variants than the Mark IV, allowing more custom experimentation during the prototype phase.\n\nThe Phoenix development team was also given unprecedented access to the work of the much larger Constellation Mark IV team, with the expectation that the variant would premiere as part of the launch planned for 2942. Delays relating to the Mark IV rework moved the launch to 2944, giving the Phoenix team an opportunity to soft launch the design. Starting in 2941, Roberts Space Industries\u2019 representatives were allowed to offer interested parties Mark III conversions that introduced the Phoenix concept. The Mark IIIs were upgraded to Phoenix status in the lab at Valatie using factory-fresh base Constellations. Only a handful of conversions were constructed, with most purchased by RSI\u2019s trusted partner corporations for executive operations.\n\nProduction of the Phoenix variant of the Constellation Mark IV began in earnest in June 2944 alongside a media blitz intended to remind buyers of Roberts Space Industries\u2019 prestigious history. The company produced advertisements featuring their original model Quantum Drive and sponsored multiple documentaries focusing on humankind\u2019s early interstellar expansion. All production model Phoenixes are constructed to base specifications alongside the other model Constellations at RSI\u2019s Albany plant and then ferried to a special facility at Luna for the installation of their interiors and other unique features.\n\nThe first Constellation Phoenix sold went to rock star Ellroy Cass. The ship was commissioned by the then-head of RSI Outreach, Thar Obson, and personally delivered to Cass. Orders for corporate executive fleets and private citizens seeking a luxury experience came in quickly, selling out the first year\u2019s production allotment of Phoenixes in a matter of days.\n\nA single \u2018centennial\u2019 Constellation Phoenix has been constructed in honor of a 2946 production milestone for the entire Constellation range. This unique Phoenix features a metallic gold livery and an interior exhaustingly detailed in 24 karat gold. This Phoenix was not offered for sale and the only example remains owned by Roberts Space Industries, who have occasionally used it for trade shows and other marketing pushes.\n\nIn 2948, Roberts Space Industries premiered a variant-of-a-variant, the Constellation Phoenix Emerald, as competition with Origin\u2019s new model of 600 series spacecraft became more serious. The Emerald featured a \u2018lucky\u2019 green paint scheme and a variant interior cabin design. Emeralds were produced in extremely limited numbers and have not become part of the normal production process. Market analysts believe that Roberts Space Industries is happy with the positioning of the Phoenix despite increased competition from Origin and others. Less than one percent of Constellation fuselages become Phoenixes, and although the model generates between five and seven percent of the total profits for the line depending on year, it is expected that the company will continue to produce Phoenixes for the foreseeable future."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":25,"created_at":"2023-08-08T21:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"2 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 19:03:50","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":19405,"next_id":19407}}