First Saturn Crisis

A minor diplomatic dispute between the UN and the Eurasian Federation over the ownership of Saturn and its moons in Sol System.

Background

During Kapitan Tamryn Fedotov's whirlwind tour of the solar system in early 2025, the Federation became the first nation begin a true manned exploration of the Sol System[1]. Fedotov explored Luna, Mars, several asteroids and the Jupiter system, while Kapitan Maxim Sobolev led an exploration effort of the Saturn system. Arriving on November 25th, 2025, Sobolev began an earnest and thorough scientific examination of Saturn and its satellites. Through Sobolev's efforts, the Federation was able to chart the Saturn system and become the first nation to have a manned presence in system[2].

Two years later, the UNS Panner launched a geological exploration of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and found that it was well stocked with various Trans-Newtonian Elements.

One month later, British Petroleum organized a subsidiary dubbed BP Saturn and established a colony on Titan to begin mining operations.

The Federation reacted with outrage over BP's presence in the system, claiming that it was a violation of their sovereignty. Furthermore, the Federation claimed that UN annexation of heavenly bodies violated the Outer Space Treaty, specifically the clause pertaining to governments not being allowed to annex heavenly bodies. However, the treaty was drafted in a time when concerns over multiple nations competing in a vicious land grab for small scraps of territory concerned many, especially in light of the Cold War. The USSR no longer existed by 2027 and only two superpowers remain.

When the UN refused to back down from its colonies, the Federation surprised no one by withdrawing from the Outer Space Treaty. With only the UN left, the treaty in essence became void. This left the issue of UN colonies in Saturn unresolved.

Disputes

Federation Commissioner-General Ivano Tretyakov announced in the media on January 10th, 2027, that Saturn, its moons, and a space cordon of 250 million km was the sovereign territory of the Federation, supported by a theoretical right of first visit. He dictated that the UN civilian concerns on Titan and Mimas had to either evacuate or enter FEAN service posthaste. Ambassador Aloyoshenka Kulikov informed UN Ambassador CeeBees that the Federation had decided to withdraw from the Outer Space Treaty[3]. To demonstrate its seriousness, the Federation Navy dispatched its newly constructed Moskva-class corvette to Saturn.

Ambassador Ceebees sent a diplomatic overture in response to Ambassador Kulikov's communique in an attempt to stabilize relations and prevent the loss of the UN's Saturnian colonies in one swoop. In an effort to ensure no further escalation, the UN placed a moratorium on travel to Saturn and its moons. BP Saturn ignored the ban and announced that it had opened a new civilian mining complex on Iapetus as of January 15th, 2028[4]. This move became more suspicious during and immediately after the events of the Second Saturn Crisis. Fortunately, BP Saturn's actions did not deter the Federation from seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute[5].

Resolution

The UN lacked combat naval void ships and thus had no power to enforce its claim to its Saturnian colonies. Even so, the UN was unwilling to surrender its Saturn holdings without consideration from the Federation; the Federation was likewise loathe to fire the first shot in an interplanetary war and risk both its reputation and its Earth holdings. Both superpowers entered negotiations, recognizing they had more to lose by pursuing a military solution to a diplomatic problem.

The Federation signed the Treaty between the United Nations and Federation of European and Asian Nations Regarding the Possession of the Sol System's Giant Planets (Treaty of Saturn) on May 13th, 2028 and began negotiations regarding colonization and exploitation of the Martian ruins immediately thereafter[6].

Aftermath

Per the terms of the Treaty of Saturn, the UN formally renounced their sovereign claims over Saturn but were allowed to keep their previously established colonies until 2043. In return, the Federation ceded Jupiter to the UN.

The First Saturn Crisis was the first major dispute between the Eurasian Federation and the United Nations. While it only lasted a short period of time and ended with a peaceful settlement between the two groups, it did raise several issues.

First the lack of a UNIN military void navy sent many in the UN scrambling to find an answer to the Moskva. The UN was aware that its void capabilities and sensor capabilities were in general too slight and underdeveloped to enforce claims in Saturn. The Federation had successfully used the threat of force to pressure the UN into acknowledging the Federation's declaration of sole sovereignty over Saturn. The UN scrambled to improve its military and detection technologies in order to prevent the Federation from pursuing similar tactics in the future[7]. The UN developed the Berlin-class vessel in order to better maintain void parity with the Federation.

The peace achieved around Saturn spurred both sides diplomatic parties to try and craft treaties that could help prevent further conflicts from erupting in the Sol System, especially over rare and valuable resources. This desire would eventually see the Treaty of Mars and Articles of Colonization drafted and ratified. The former dealt with the sharing of technology and worlds with alien ruins, and the latter established protocol for formally annexing a heavenly body. This shifted the superpowers' focus from developing mainly military solutions to interplanetary primacy to more covert and legalistic means.

The vast distance between Earth and its Saturn colonies would lead to further conflicts down the road, as BP Saturn began to take advantage of its control over the UN Saturn colonies and the Federation sought a more private location to develop its void capabilities. This and several other factors would lead to the Second Saturn Crisis several years later.