Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace is a space station that was constructed in an eleven year period between 2000 and 2011. It is one of the biggest space stations in the Cyberpunk universe.

Overview
The Palace is a five torroidal ring structure built around a large core extending for almost two kilometers through the center of the station. Each ring has a radius of 2.2 kilometers. The three central rings are entirely enclosed, while the two outer rings have two-meter thick leaded-glass windows to permit light to enter.

The torroids are protected from hard radiation by a thick shield of lunar rock. As with most space-borne equipment, all hardware on the Palace is hardened against EMP. The torroids spin at sufficient rotation to provide 0.8 G at the rim, dropping about 0.1 G for every 275 meters of altitude towards the hub.

Inside each inner torus are four levels of living facilities, manufacturing plants, life support systems, and apartment blocks. The two outer torroids support huge open parks; they are not only for recreation, but also provide the bulk of the Palace's oxygen supply. While most of this area is devoted to open space, there are common buildings, restaurants, and housing for high ranking Corporate and ESA officials.

While the European Space Agency technically owns the Palace, it is in fact used by all space-capable nations, each of which maintains an embassy on the Palace for its nationals. Living space is leased by the ESA to the highest bidders on a twenty year renewable basis. In turn, the ESA maintains emergency services, general security, and station upkeep. Police services and law enforcement are the exclusive province of Interpol; the intra-European police organization, under an agreement with the ESA, reserves the right of judicial power over criminal offenses.