[Reckless Griff]

The group I play in has grown to include 10+ players every week, so we've decided to split into two groups running with two judges with the option of co-oping missions with both teams.  One such co-op mission involves the sabotage of a space station (this is a story arc that I was not involved in planning, but one that everyone seems keen on playing).  I was just wondering how some of you might handle getting into space (if that's the course the lads choose to take).  Specifically; I'm having my team work on mission prep in about 16 hours and I was wondering where some of you might start looking for a ride.  What are some of the more space-travel/exploration focused corporations?  How hard would it be in your campaigns to get to space?  Moreover; how difficult would you make it for your runners to get back from space? 

[All4BigGuns]

Don't count on the Awakened team members accompanying. They're screwed if they go up there.

[Shaidar]

I believe SR4's Hazard Pay is the book you need to download toot-sweet.

Ares (by virtue of having gobbled NASA), Evo, Horizon, and Neo-Net all have orbital operations, in addition to the Corporate Court and Zurich Orbital Bank.

One of them might also operate a Tourist/Hotel style orbital facility.

[Lethal Joke]

Don't count on the Awakened team members accompanying. They're screwed if they go up there.

What he said. Space is one huge mana void

[ScytheKnight]

So long as they stay firmly out of the Astral they should be alright, using magic will be a bitch though and spirits will be basically eaten by the void.

You might want to take a look at Run & Gun, it has a section dealing with Space based games.

[Herr Brackhaus]

There are multiple options to get a party into space.

1. Hire smugglers. No, really; there are apparently "space pirates" who can get you on board a legit transport to a space station, though it might cost you an arm and a leg.
2. Fake it. Have the team alter the manifest to include themselves; tricky, given the immense security one could expect to envelop launch facilities.
3. Force it. This seems pretty suicidal, but they could always hijack a launch vessel and attempt to take off in it...

As for magicians in space, space stations themselves may or may not have a mana field because of the life onboard them. This is alluded to several times in the fiction, I believe. Astral Projection and spellcasting could be tricky, but on board a station itself it should not be impossible unless the GM wants it to be, in my opinion.

[Csjarrat]

as far as i know, space tourism exists and most of the big 10 have a presence up there in one form or another, with the right financial resources and contacts you could go on a space holiday which would make getting home easy enough, just catch the return shuttle on time, though i'd imagine your time aboard the station would be monitored closely.
Also the Corporate court sits up there iirc, so an elaborate prep could probably get one or two folk up there as visitors/defence/prosecution/journalists with the right supporting documentation (think decker and lots of legwork).
Whatever they do, it won't be easy and mana up there is incredibly scarce. adepts won't be able to use powers much/at all and mages are really really going to struggle to be useful up there too. I'd probably only send a couple of guys, maybe your rigger/techy/decker and/or face to do the sabotage and keep the cover story running.
depending on what kind of sabotage they need to do will depend on what they actually need to achieve. If they want to blow it out the sky, crashing a docking ship or old satellite into the station is probably going to be the most effective option short of getting hold of anti-orbital ground based weaponry.
If they don't want to cause a global disaster and massive loss of life, and are just sabotaging key systems, probably better to get one or two guys aboard to link their internal secured systems to a satellite uplink so they can be hacked from the ground (they'll all be wired only connections for critical functions so no hacking otherwise)

[cantrip]

...who can get you on board a legit transport to a space station, though it might cost you an arm and a leg....

^^^
This statement always makes me chuckle in shadowrun --- it can be quite literal! 

Depending on how a run/mission is setup, an easier way would be to have either a corp 'sponsor' or Mr. Johnson providing transport -- they are under no obligation to share the how and why to the runners, so you can bypass the reasoning behind it, unless it plays into the plot.

If part of the run is finding a way up, then that would make for an interesting scenario also, but changes it to a major portion of the run; or maybe finding transport is a run in itself.

Couple of other thoughts:
* take the place of a repair team
* the hijack option sounds crazy at first, but a hijack doesn't have to be done with guns blazing; could just take over a flight of a supplies/delivery vessel. Could also intercept a crew headed for a standard rotation.
* tourist angle (has been mentioned) -- think a one-shot version of the Fifth Element
* Crazy ex-rigger who's always wanted to "go to the stars" needs a crew though....
* For a more serious game, being the muscle/security for a high-level exec or researcher
* Have your face/con/infiltrator take the identity of a researcher(s) scheduled to depart
* Are there space elevators in SR yet? I've not seen reference, but I don't see why not...the theory for them has been around for a long time. I mean, heck, they'd be easy to build with....nanotech.... (Okay, that's a whole 'nother run, but would be a fun premise in itself)
* Hired as the entertainment for a one-time event being held on a corporate platform
* Team Rigger or Decker is given a one time over-ride to take over a ship or other space vehicle; use at your discretion

A lot of this is going to have to be built into the run by the GM - anyway - have fun! I tend to play magicians so, it would be hard for me because I know my character would at some point break down just because he's curious!  Don't look. Whatever you do. Ever. Don't do it! Why are the potentially deadly situations the most fun in Shadowrun? 

[Adder]

The single coolest thing I want to do in space is to have my runners board Zurich-Orbital without anyone knowing. My plan is to get them up to a much less secure station, then fire themselves towards ZO on an unguided, unpowered craft. It's a common theme in many space fictions, but recently came up in the movie Gravity (Bullock getting to the Chinese station). The premise is that you aim at the beginning with incredible precision, launch, then cut all power and thrusters. The target sees you as just another piece of small space debris on radar.

The problems are twofold:

1. accurately aiming
2. how do you stop?

#1 is the fun, nervous anxiety part. Are we going to make it? If you're off by even a fraction of a degree you could be sent off into space with no recovery plan. Your target is typically hundreds if not thousands of miles away. The calculations involved and random chance (e.g. microimpacts) could totally throw you off.

#2 Crashing an uncontrolled craft into a space station draws a lot of attention, unsurprisingly. I would plan for them to eject (while suited) and jump towards ZO at an angle where they will make contact but not at enough speed to kill them. Their craft would continue into space past the station. This would also involve a lot of math and luck to not die. They would then need to enter through a hatch, and then the real fun begins...

[Herr Brackhaus]

...who can get you on board a legit transport to a space station, though it might cost you an arm and a leg....

^^^
This statement always makes me chuckle in shadowrun --- it can be quite literal! 

Hehe, glad someone caught onto that

<great content znipped for brevity>
* Are there space elevators in SR yet? I've not seen reference, but I don't see why not...the theory for them has been around for a long time. I mean, heck, they'd be easy to build with....nanotech.... (Okay, that's a whole 'nother run, but would be a fun premise in itself)

According to the Sixth World Almanac page 99;
"November 10, 2072 - EARTH ORBIT: The Corporate Court publicly announces that construction is underway on a space elevator. The key components of the elevator are scheduled to be online by 2074, with a space-side habitat ready for general occupation by 2076."

So from a canon perspective, maybe? Depends on when your game is set in the timeline.

[Mystic]

The single coolest thing I want to do in space is to have my runners board Zurich-Orbital without anyone knowing. My plan is to get them up to a much less secure station, then fire themselves towards ZO on an unguided, unpowered craft. It's a common theme in many space fictions, but recently came up in the movie Gravity (Bullock getting to the Chinese station). The premise is that you aim at the beginning with incredible precision, launch, then cut all power and thrusters. The target sees you as just another piece of small space debris on radar.

The problems are twofold:

1. accurately aiming
2. how do you stop?

#1 is the fun, nervous anxiety part. Are we going to make it? If you're off by even a fraction of a degree you could be sent off into space with no recovery plan. Your target is typically hundreds if not thousands of miles away. The calculations involved and random chance (e.g. microimpacts) could totally throw you off.

#2 Crashing an uncontrolled craft into a space station draws a lot of attention, unsurprisingly. I would plan for them to eject (while suited) and jump towards ZO at an angle where they will make contact but not at enough speed to kill them. Their craft would continue into space past the station. This would also involve a lot of math and luck to not die. They would then need to enter through a hatch, and then the real fun begins...

Actualy your ploblems are threefold....

#3, How do you plan on getting past the automated/manned defense systems that are designed to shoot down errant space objects or debris?

Or...

#3a, How do you plan on dealing with the Space Rescue Service? I mean if you miss they can come and well...rescue you, but with the massive satelite and drone network out there where, getting anywhere NEAR Z-O is going to be problematic. Chances are an SRS vessel will be in the vacinity to either intercept or respond to any attempted unauthorized visits.

Just putting it out there. 

[Crimsondude]

...who can get you on board a legit transport to a space station, though it might cost you an arm and a leg....

^^^
This statement always makes me chuckle in shadowrun --- it can be quite literal! 

Hehe, glad someone caught onto that

<great content znipped for brevity>
* Are there space elevators in SR yet? I've not seen reference, but I don't see why not...the theory for them has been around for a long time. I mean, heck, they'd be easy to build with....nanotech.... (Okay, that's a whole 'nother run, but would be a fun premise in itself)

According to the Sixth World Almanac page 99;
"November 10, 2072 - EARTH ORBIT: The Corporate Court publicly announces that construction is underway on a space elevator. The key components of the elevator are scheduled to be online by 2074, with a space-side habitat ready for general occupation by 2076."

So from a canon perspective, maybe? Depends on when your game is set in the timeline.

President Kennedy, the Corporate Court is not.

The Skyhook space elevator is not operational as of the end of 2076. Hazard Pay covers the extent of the project up to 2075-75, but suffice to say, there have been setbacks.

[ScytheKnight]

Still, not operational doesn't necessarily mean unusable.

[Crimsondude]

The single coolest thing I want to do in space is to have my runners board Zurich-Orbital without anyone knowing. My plan is to get them up to a much less secure station, then fire themselves towards ZO on an unguided, unpowered craft. It's a common theme in many space fictions, but recently came up in the movie Gravity (Bullock getting to the Chinese station). The premise is that you aim at the beginning with incredible precision, launch, then cut all power and thrusters. The target sees you as just another piece of small space debris on radar.

The problems are twofold:

1. accurately aiming
2. how do you stop?

#1 is the fun, nervous anxiety part. Are we going to make it? If you're off by even a fraction of a degree you could be sent off into space with no recovery plan. Your target is typically hundreds if not thousands of miles away. The calculations involved and random chance (e.g. microimpacts) could totally throw you off.

#2 Crashing an uncontrolled craft into a space station draws a lot of attention, unsurprisingly. I would plan for them to eject (while suited) and jump towards ZO at an angle where they will make contact but not at enough speed to kill them. Their craft would continue into space past the station. This would also involve a lot of math and luck to not die. They would then need to enter through a hatch, and then the real fun begins...

It's fine if you choose to do this. It's your game.

That said, canon-wise, that would not be advisable. As has been mentioned, Z-O is surrounded by weapons that will automatically fire on anything nearby that isn't scheduled to dock with the station.

The goal shouldn't be getting onto Z-O undetected, because that is impossible. The goal should be to get onto Z-O with as few people knowing as possible, especially the security people.

There is an adventure (or two) set on Z-O in Corporate Intrigue if you want to know more about how to do this.

[Adder]

Your plan isn't going to work

Alas :-(