Colony ship

A colony ship (or colonial transport) was any type of spaceship used for the transport of potential settlers, as well as the equipment needed to establish a new colony (or supplement an existing one), to a given destination.

Vessels of this type varied in size and longevity. Arguably, the SS Botany Bay, launched from Earth in 1996, was the first colony ship. Prior to the development of the warp drive, colonial transports were only capable of sublight velocities. As such, most were sleeper ships — outfitted with cryogenic capsules to lower the metabolic rate of the potential colonists so they could survive a decades- or even centuries-long voyage. An early expedition of this type was the vessel Forty Families.

Colony ships were not necessarily purpose-built as such. Many, especially in the first 200 years of Terran spacefaring, were converted from freighters or in-system passenger liners.

An example of a purpose-built colony ship in the 23rd century was the. The Brisbane and her sister ships were called "colonization cruisers" as their spaceframes had been developed from that of the starships (which were alternately designated light cruisers or frigates).