Tharsis Freight Union

The Tharsis Freight Union runs one of the largest Atlas Heavy Freighter fleets in the inner system from its base on the Olympus Ring, moving bulk cargo between Mars, Luna, Earth and the Asteroid Belt. It has been a Lumen hiring partner since 2181, the year our Heavy Freight Type Rating course opened.

Each year the union sponsors 12 seats on the Heavy Freight Type Rating, covering the full 168,000-credit tuition for candidates who commit to four years of service as Atlas first officers. It also funds four places on Shuttle Operations for pilots who will crew its Kestrel fleet, and three on Dropship Landing Certification for Cascade crews delivering cargo to surface depots on Mars.

Union captains regularly fly as line training captains during the live cargo phase of the Atlas course, and Joaquín Ibarra, who leads the course, flew for the union for 14 years.

Graduates hired by Tharsis typically fly their first laden run within six weeks of their check ride. The union's recruitment team attends our graduation ceremonies on Luna and interviews every Atlas graduate who wishes to apply.

Union pilots describe the arrangement as a cadet ladder: a sponsored Kestrel first officer can move to an Atlas seat after two years, then return to Lumen for further ratings at the union's expense. In 2186 the union hired 31 Lumen graduates, more than any other single employer, and it reports that pilots trained on our three-seat Atlas simulator need roughly a third less line training before release to scheduled cargo routes.