Gate
Overview
A gate, or portal, is a fixed position structure that enables ships unequipped with a vortex engine to enter into hyperspace. These gates are commonly positioned at the ends of safe hyperspace pathways to/from the system. The immense power requirements to open a portal into hyperspace limit the number of ships able to open their own access, so most ships rely on these gates to access hyperspace. Due to power requirements to open, and keep open a portal, these gates will have multiple power generation sources and storage in the immediate area.
A beacon is commonly deployed near the gate in hyperspace, to act as a lighthouse to ships.
Originally gates had to be set to open at regular intervals, due to the lack of the ability of objects in physical space being able to detect items in hyperspace. Pratrock Dynamics developed and released a new sensor array that allows this detection to occur. This advance made gate operations more efficient as they can now open on demand when ships approach.