Although the original Morro Rock was small, this island is big enough to hold a fully fledged spaceport and airport. A bridge connects Morro Rock to City Center on the east; accessed by going through Union Street or the Night City Ringroad.
The island has some of the best views of Night City, especially for contemplating fireworks, as such it is a popular touristic destination.[1][2][3]
History[]
Early history - 2020s[]
Morro Rock was a volcanic neck that was formed 23 million of years ago. It became a sacred place to the local Native American tribes.[4] In the 19th century, the area near the Rock was chosen to build a settlement named Morro Bay. Unfortunately, in the last decades of the 20th century there was much violence in the surrounding region, with the town ending up occupied by gangs of violent bikers. Not long after, a businessmen known as Richard Night managed to buy all the terrains surrounding Morro Rock and expel the local gangs. With this, after rearranging the terrain, the volcanic plug was turned into a small island west of the new project Night was about to start.
In the 2040s, Morro Rock was still an unsettled small island off the shore of a rebuilding metropolis. In consultation with a group of investors, the Government of Night City agreed to sign a contract to establish an orbital spaceplane mass driver after the old metropolitan airport had been neglected ever since the war. Orbital Air was contracted for this project, with Franklin M'bolu, a developer of many of OA's leading technologies, being in charge of building the company's forthcoming development. The location for such a massive project was chosen to be Morro Rock due to its geological stableness, planning to build it within the majestic Rock itself. When finished, the mass driver would allow spaceplanes to be launched into LEO (low Earth orbit).[1][4]Morro Rock Radio, located on the island, primarily served as entertainment for the Orbital Air workers at the future construction site.[5]
Construction started in 2045, though many decisions were soon scrapped.[4] For starters, the geological engineers that flew from Kenya halted the construction of the mass driver by citing concerns about the stability of the area's bedrock.[6] At the same time, Orbital Air management was skeptical that rocket-free launches could take place without corporate backing ensuring its profitability, as such, OA proposed to build a civilian spaceport as well. It was decided to demolish Morro Rock itself in order to build the new infrastructure. This time, however, it was not Orbital Air who gave permission to demolish the Rock, but rather the Night City authorities. Over the following months, OA managed to take advantage of loopholes in order to cancel the mass driver's construction and its rusted, incomplete remains were eventually dismantled. This way the megacorp's monopoly on space colonization remained intact. Over the following years the island's terrain was rearranged and greatly expanded to accommodate NCX Spaceport, being finally inaugurated in 2047. Now, Morro Rock was a sizeable island west of Night City, with installations capable of transporting people and merchandise across the globe and outer space.[4]
By the 2070s, ground transportation into Night City was only advised if you were accompanied by corporate or military personnel. Instead, visitors to the metropolis were strongly encouraged to travel by plane, using the installations on Morro Rock as the safest solution.[3]
Morro Rock was first introduced in Countdown to the Dark Future and Cyberpunk RED Jumpstart Kit. The formation was not in the original Cyberpunk 2013 and Cyberpunk 2020 because in the lore it had been covered up with fill. If the original maps had shown elevations, it would have been possible to see the city rise to the northwest. After 2023, the fill above the Rock was used to cover parts of the bay and the crater left by the nuke, leaving Morro Rock in full view for the citizens.[7][8][R 1] This explanation has been presumably omitted following the subsequent releases, considering that Cyberpunk RED already shows Morro Rock in 2020 as an island. As a side note, this elevation would correspond with West Hill, an elevated area in the northwestern side of Night City.
In order to match with the Cyberpunk 2077 world, Morro Rock was moved to the west in Cyberpunk RED, and it's in a different location than its real counterpart.[R 2][R 3]
Trivia[]
Before being turned into an island, this was the same Morro Rock as in real life, albeit, not in the exact same location.[R 2] In Cyberpunk 2077, the only resemblance is in the name.
This article is about the island in Del Coronado Bay. For the radio station, see 107.3 Morro Rock Radio.
