Apollo Mining Colony

Constructed in 2068, the Apollo Mining Colony is the primary population center for the lunar colonies. The colony's population has grown steadily from 5000 in 2071 to 33,000 in 2102. Such large mass of civilians operating in a mostly artificial environment are sustained by the Bio-Domes; massive life support control buildings that also grow a huge percentage of the colony's food supply. Apollo's primary function is the mining of Helium-3 to fuel Earth's energy demands. It also serves as a checkpoint for settlers heading to the most recent colony established on Mars. In 2083 the UGC order the construction of a Compliance Nexus on Apollo to help regulate the emotional state of the citizens.

Helium-3 Mining
Once the old world powers dissolved and the UGC was born it became clear Earth could no longer support her own energy needs. Once H-3 was discovered to be both efficient and abundant fuel source, work began immediately to begin extracting the new "miracle fuel" from the lunar surface. Much of Apollo's civilian population work as miners, helping to run the machinery that extracts the volatile fuel from the Moon's crust. Apollo is all but surrounded on all sides by the massive drilling equipment that keeps Earth's cities running. In addition to external drilling equipment, large mining walkers such as the Seth and Ivax classes are used to autonomously excavate the large underground chasms such as The Mineshafts with minimal fear of human injury.



Immigration
All immigration into Apollo and beyond is handled through the Military Base. Located outside the primary colony-city, the large base holds new arrivals in quarantine away from the local populous until authorization and paperwork is complete and they can be administered into the colony, or redirected towards on of the ships headed towards Mars. The screening is a rigorous process and background checks are thorough. Industrial espionage is a common practice in this day and ago, and the UGC keeps Apollo running under the strictest of security protocols. So much so that the Security Team has become a para-military organization, equipped with armor and weaponry on the same scale as the Marine Corps. Lieutenant Sheng keeps the new arrivals under a tight watch until they can be fitted with the Nanochipping required to place them under the Compliance Nexus' watchful gaze.



Weapons Manufacturing
The incredibly lucrative nature of Apollo and the wealth of cutting edge technology has attracted many high profile weapons and armor manufacturers. Apollo's laxer UGC regulation make it a haven for research that could easily be deemed "unethical" back on Earth. And the controlled atmosphere makes testing a much simpler affair than the constantly shifting weather on Earth. Although many large corporations prefer to keep their headquarters off the moon, large scale assembly plants and research facilities have been moved or built on the lunar colony. Fueled by cheap Helium-3, they operate at peak efficiency. Recent weapons breakthroughs have lead to extremely powerful prototype weaponry such as the AER138 Laser Rifle, and new compounds have led way to breakthroughs such as the Safeguard Class Armor Plating.