What a space navy does: naval gunfire support

RogerBW

Orbital fire support is often a decisive factor in planetary engagements from colonial scuffles to all-out war, but it’s a tricky business. The Naval Gunfire Liaison Officer needs to serve as the link between ground and orbit, juggling an often fluid battle situation, an up-to-date picture of the predicted delays between firing and strike, and the positions and orbits of firing ships. (This latter is why the Navy prefers to use its own people for the job.)

The NGLO is placed on the ground usually with the Royal Marines but in some cases with regular Army units; he’s typically placed in an artillery command centre but is trained to act as a spotter.

Orbital laser fire is functionally instantaneous, but requires the ship to be above the horizon. Particle beams are rarely used, because the neutral beams favoured for space engagements tend to decohere when they hit atmosphere (though on airless worlds they can still be of some help). Missiles are typically delayed by about five minutes, up to twenty if the ship is on the far side of the planet when it fires.