2003 illustration of the then-experimental ESEL Condor single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane.
The ESEL (Experimental Stellar Engineering Limited) Condor was the first of its kind. Able to take off from a runway and reach orbit without the need of additional, non-reusable boosters, it proved to be more cost effective than the previous designs the ISF (Imperial Space Force) had been using, allowing for more frequent launches without going over budget.
Many important firsts would be set by the Condor series. In 2007, several Condor Mk.IIIs were used to create ISFS (Imperial Space Force Station) Sol Imperatoria, the first permanently inhabited orbital space station. In 2011, Mk.Vs would build ISFS Solaris Navifactiva, the world's first orbital shipyard, and even to this day Mk.XIs are used to ferry supplies to and from Earth to orbiting long-range spacecraft. That is one of the main drawbacks of the Condor: It's specialised for operating in orbit, while normal rockets, both launched from Earth or assembled in orbit, have always been better at long range missions, such as visiting the Moon, or the currently underway Operation Ares, the first manned mission to Mars.
Not to be outdone, the Kaiserreiches Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte built their first SSTO spaceplane, the Fokker V.80, in 2006, and built the second permanently inhabited orbital space station (and to give them credit where credit is due, they did build the world's first space station, and their first permanently inhabited space station was twice the size of the Sol Imperatoria. They also built the first Lagrangian point space station, though the ISF built the first permanently inhabited Lagrangian point space station, which also serves as a refuelling station, and was upgraded to be self-sufficient in terms of air, food, and water before the KDL's station).
Quick question, am I doing a good job at balancing the space stuff out? (I.e. the British Empire manages a lot of firsts, but so does the German Empire, and there are other players besides them)
The AUS is less interested in space exploration (though they have started to take more of an interest, partially because they are starting to become somewhat embarrassed that the nations they often criticize as being backwards and out-dated [primarily because they have monarchs] can so easily point to evidence that they are more advanced than them).
France is fairly heavily involved in space exploration, being tied for second place with Russia for having the most advanced space program and largest presence in space(First place is a tie between the British and the Germans). Both are among the four nations to have at least one permanently inhabited non-terrestrial settlement or base.
Both have permanently inhabited orbital space stations, and Russia has its own orbital shipyard. France could probably build its own, but they decided just to contribute resources to expand
ISFS Solaris Navifactiva, since it was cheaper just to do that and share it with the British.
Both have made multiple Moon landings, and are planning to build permanently inhabited moonbases.
The French use a licensed version of the Condor for their SSTO space plane, while the Russians use their own designs (Russia is the only major player in space to have used multiple series of SSTO spaceplanes. All the others generally just create updated and upgraded models of their original design). Again, the French could easily make their own design, as they do produce the Condors they use in France, it's just that they felt it was faster to use a proven design, and since they share an orbital shipyard, and also have a number of joint space stations, it means they can borrow spare parts from the British if one of their Condors gets damaged in orbit.
Germany is the only nation in Mitteleuropa to have a space program, all the other nations just contribute to it, which is part of how they are able to keep up with the British (who have a larger population and resource base. Remember, India is a rather loyal member of the British Empire, as is Canada and Australasia).
The PSA shares a space program with Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and the Free State of New York. They do not have any permanently inhabited non-terrestrial settlements or bases, though they do have a number of astronauts stationed on ISF or French stations, and have had astronauts visit ISF Luna. They also use a locally produced, licensed version of the Condor, though a significant portion of the government have been lobbying to create their own design.
Any suggestions for things I should change are welcome.
Especially Trotsky Attacks - they look pretty epic. Especially Britain as TTL's Empire of the Rising Sun