Sneaking onto a planet at TL 10

[Diomedes]

I'm trying to allow for the possibility of interstellar smuggling for a space-operatic setting, and I've run into the problem that even without superscience, it seems trivial to keep tabs on departing and arriving starships. Anyone have any ideas for ways to avoid orbital traffic control and surveillance?

[vierasmarius]

In this case, Superscience is actually your friend. Stealth in Space is close to impossible without "magical" technologies like teleportation or invisibility.

That said, you don't necessarily need to make a ship undetectable to mask its contents. Have the criminals do what modern day smugglers and money launderers do: buy captains, customs authorities and politicians. Forge ship manifests. Exploit tariff loopholes. Get a good lawyer.

[Diomedes]

All that is true, but I'm looking for mechanical solutions rather than social-engineering ones. As for superscience, I'm helped by the use of a semi-reactionless drive that doesn't emit a lot of detectable radiation, and I'm considering hyperspace radiators, to send excess heat into hyperspace where it can't be detected.

One of my biggest questions is, in a setting where surface-to-orbit transport is dirt-cheap, is there any justification for a planet to not have a comprehensive satellite network?

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

One of my biggest questions is, in a setting where surface-to-orbit transport is dirt-cheap, is there any justification for a planet to not have a comprehensive satellite network?

No. How about you tell us about the space traffic around this world? That might show a way of getting a ship through, although such ways may well have been discovered by the authorities and blocked in some manner.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

All that is true, but I'm looking for mechanical solutions rather than social-engineering ones. As for superscience, I'm helped by the use of a semi-reactionless drive that doesn't emit a lot of detectable radiation, and I'm considering hyperspace radiators, to send excess heat into hyperspace where it can't be detected.

One of my biggest questions is, in a setting where surface-to-orbit transport is dirt-cheap, is there any justification for a planet to not have a comprehensive satellite network?

Dealing with the heat problem is a big step towards stealth, but even with today's ground based observatories we can detect and track thousands of small, inert orbital bodies. Unless you severely nerf the sensor technology there is little plausibility in sneaking on to a developed planet. You could go a step further with the stealth technology, and let the ship become truly invisible to a broad swath of the electromagnetic spectrum. Or, have the infiltration be of a frontier colony without any significant orbital infrastructure.

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by johndallman

No. How about you tell us about the space traffic around this world? That might show a way of getting a ship through, although such ways may well have been discovered by the authorities and blocked in some manner.

Most traffic will leave hyperspace at a distance of about 5 light-seconds from an Earth-type planet; anything farther is probably the result of a navigational error. There will usually be a space station in orbit, containing one or more teleportation gates to locations on the surface. A tiny, new colony will only have one settlement, and thus need only one gate, while a slightly larger one may have more settlements, some unserved by gates - until those get installed, too. Most non-paperwork related smuggling is likely to be on these types of planets.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

All that is true, but I'm looking for mechanical solutions rather than social-engineering ones. As for superscience, I'm helped by the use of a semi-reactionless drive that doesn't emit a lot of detectable radiation, and I'm considering hyperspace radiators, to send excess heat into hyperspace where it can't be detected.

One of my biggest questions is, in a setting where surface-to-orbit transport is dirt-cheap, is there any justification for a planet to not have a comprehensive satellite network?

It's some kind of frontier planet with nothing more than a weather satellite to it's name. Of course planets like that aren't what a smuggler really needs to be sneaking stuff onto. I mean they aren't exactly prime market for high mark-up illegal luxury goods or even contraband weapons because weapons probably aren't contraband there.

Here are your options:

1. Give them cloaking devices.
2. Use bribery and deception.
3. Use secret compartments (Which is what Han Solo does).
4. Have them smuggle stuff past space patrols to planets that actually welcome their arrival because the stuff may be illegal to transport through interstellar space, it's legal or at least accepted at the destination.

[The Colonel]

As usual the answer to the stealth in space problem is not "what can you hide?" but "what are they looking for?". If orbital control is as sensitive as modern airtraffic control, bypassing it will be as simple as turning off your transponder.

Of course, if local forces see you turn off your transponder, or detect you accidentally with it off, you'll be getting a fighter escort (at best) and a SOM at worst...

If you're arriving at a lightly settled colony, it might well be easy to enter the atmosphere below the horizon of any government facility, and even if you are seen coming in, unless the person that detects you can correlate the sighting with orbital control and tell that you're unauthorised, there shouldn't be a problem.

[Refplace]

You could try high speed drop pods with decoys.
You could try active jamming combined with a fast ship. Its not subtle but might let you make remote landings. "Hurry up boys! We have about 5 minutes before the patrols figure our location".

Also busier facilities it might be easier to get lost in the crowd with fake transponders and signal gear.

[Lord Carnifex]

Originally Posted by Refplace

You could try high speed drop pods with decoys.
You could try active jamming combined with a fast ship. Its not subtle but might let you make remote landings. "Hurry up boys! We have about 5 minutes before the patrols figure our location".

Also busier facilities it might be easier to get lost in the crowd with fake transponders and signal gear.

If the goods aren't too bulky, packaging them into a nickel-iron ablative shell might work. Even if the planet has facilities to track all incoming meteors and meteorites, they probably don't bother to intercept natural looking ones that aren't a threat to air traffic or ground facilities.