“It doesn’t have quantum drive! It doesn’t have a laser cannon! Why the [redacted] would I want my own ARGO? Because I work for a living, that’s why, and no interstellar commerce has ever moved from point A to point B without touching an ARGO’s hull plating somewhere along the way.”
- Captain Danica Carraway, Licensed Hull-C #3-A48-MMT6 (“Fred’s Pride”)
THE ARGO MPUV PLATFORM In a galaxy full of badass starfighters, impossibly complex explorers, massive cargo ships and rough-and-ready miners, is there room for some simplicity? The team at ARGO Astronautics says: YES. The ARGO may not be any kind of warship and it’s unlikely an ARGO will ever be the first to set down on an alien world… but they are an essential part of human commerce, which makes them a valuable tool for anyone interested in building a mercantile empire.
The MPUV platform, generally called the ARGO after the company that designs and produces the ship, consists of a universal cab attached to a variety of different role-specific modules. The United Empire of Earth’s military forces use ARGO variants extensively for everything from search and rescue to personnel transport to munitions loading. The ARGO is, by all accounts, easy to pick up and fly (many new pilots train on them) and especially effective in its particular roles. Today, two variants are available for service in the Stanton System.
Visit the mpuv Personnel
ARGO MPUV VARIANTS The ARGO Astronautics MPUV-1C (commonly ‘Argo Cargo’) is a dedicated merchant transfer ship, a ubiquitous intergalactic stevedore. Vast numbers of Argo Cargos are responsible for loading and unloading goods onto massive long-haul transports and miners that cannot otherwise land on planets or drydocks, such as the Hull D and the Orion. Some captains choose to own and operate their own Argo, while others pay privately owned ships operating as port services a rental fee for performing the unloading process.
The second variant is the ARGO Astronautics MPUV-1P (commonly ‘Argo Personnel.’) This version of the Argo is geared towards a simple but incredibly important responsibility: moving grounds of people from place to place. The UEE Navy uses MPUV-1Ps extensively, and any new recruit can likely recall those terrifying moments in which such a ship carried them to their first space assignment. In civilian hands, Argo Personnel ships are adapted for everything from standard taxi services to use as makeshift combat dropships. The ARGO is capable of carrying up to eight humans and their equipment.
A third ARGO variant is in development. The MPUV-1S will replace the utility pod with a dedicated search and rescue area featuring medical equipment. More details about the MPUV-1S will be available in the future.
Visit the mpuv Cargo
IN THE GAME The ARGO MPUV was developed for two purposes. The first was a co-starring role in Squadron 42, Star Citizen’s single player adventure. As seen in the ‘Morrow Tour’ displayed at CItizenCon 2015, the Argo Personnel will transport your character to his first assignment in the game. The second purpose of the Argo was part of Star Citizen’s raison d’être: immersion. We believe strongly that the galaxy should not consist only of ‘hero’ ships, but should instead be a complex patchwork of ‘working’ ships that explain how and why our universe functions. The Argo, which helps makes commerce happen and moves people from place to place, helps us speak directly to that immersive complexity!
We would like to pay special attention to the backers who asked that we offer the Argo as a pledge ship. The Argo has been completed because of its role in Squadron 42, and backers have asked that they be allowed to fly it in the current game. Since the ship is fully functional, we had no objection to this and have included the first two Argo variants in Alpha 2.5. The ship is available now in the persistent universe. Backers who have already pledged for the Idris or Javelin in the past will already have an ARGO in their inventory (Personnel for the Idris, Cargo for the Javelin.)
To learn more about the ARGO, check out the brochure linked above or the holoviewer model below. The team building the ARGO did not cut any corners; it is just as detailed as any of Star Citizen’s other ships or locations! We hope you enjoy exploring it and are confident that even before cargo transport is added to the game that backers will find interesting things to do with this ship around Port Olisar.
About the Sale The Personnel and Cargo variants of the ARGO are being offered for the first time as a limited concept sale. This means that the ship design meets our specifications. Unlike other concept sales, both ships are ready to fly in Star Citizen 2.5! The sale includes Lifetime Insurance on the ship hulls. Additional in-game features, such as cargo transport, will be added to the persistent universe in the future to better support the roles intended for the ARGO. In future sales, he ship price will increase and the offer will not include Life Time Insurance or these extras.
If you’d like to add one to your fleet, they’re available in the pledge store until September 5th, 2016. You can also view a detail of the Argo MPUV in the Holo Viewer in the Tech Overview of the ship page!
Disclaimer Remember: we are offering this pledge ship to help fund Star Citizen’s development. The funding generated by sales such as this is what allows us to include deeper, non-combat oriented features in the Star Citizen world. Concept ships will be available for in-game credits in the final universe, and they are not required to start the game. The goal is to make additional ships available that give players a different experience rather than a particular advantage when the persistent universe launches.