Luna II

Luna II (ルナツー, Runa Tsū) was a major Earth Federation Forces military base constructed from a captured asteroid in lunar orbit. Serving as strategic fortress, fleet anchorage, and resupply depot, Luna II was one of the Federation’s most important military installations throughout the Universal Century, from the One Year War through multiple subsequent conflicts.

Construction and Purpose

Luna II was constructed by capturing an asteroid and converting it into military base:

Fortress Design

Natural asteroid structure provided defense
Hardened against mobile suit and ship attacks
Multiple docking bays for fleet anchorage
Weapons emplacements covering approaches
Command and control facilities

Strategic Functions

Fleet base for Federation forces
Resupply and maintenance depot
Staging area for lunar and Earth sphere operations
Communications relay station
Defensive position protecting Earth-Moon space

The asteroid fortress design provided defensive advantages impossible with conventional space stations.

One Year War

During the One Year War, Luna II served critical functions:

Fleet Anchorage

Base for Federation fleet units
Repair and resupply operations
Staging area for offensive operations
Refuge for damaged vessels

Strategic Position

Counterbalance to Zeon’s Granada lunar base
Protected Federation interests in cislunar space
Denied Zeon complete lunar dominance
Supported operations against Zeon space forces

White Base Operations

The White Base made port at Luna II during its journey:

Resupply and repairs
Crew rest and reorganization
Integration with larger Federation strategy
Coordination with other Federation forces

Luna II’s support enabled the White Base’s continued operations.

Defensive Battles

Luna II faced Zeon attacks attempting to:

Eliminate Federation’s lunar presence
Gain complete Moon control
Destroy Federation fleet assets
Remove strategic threat to Zeon operations

The base’s defenses and garrison successfully resisted these attacks throughout the war.

Post-War Importance

Luna II remained strategically important after the One Year War:

Gryps Conflict (UC 0087):

Base for Federation/Titans operations
Staging area in conflict with AEUG
Continued as major military installation

First Neo Zeon War (UC 0088):

Federation base during Neo Zeon conflict
Fleet operations hub

Second Neo Zeon War (UC 0093):

Londo Bell operations base
Staging for operations against Char’s Neo Zeon
Fleet anchorage during Axis crisis

Luna II’s persistent military importance demonstrated that strategic locations retained value across multiple conflicts.

Facilities

Luna II’s facilities included:

Military:

Multiple mobile suit hangers
Vessel docking facilities
Defensive weapons batteries
Command centers
Barracks and personnel quarters

Support:

Maintenance and repair facilities
Ammunition and propellant storage
Life support systems
Communications arrays
Medical facilities

Strategic:

Fleet coordination centers
Intelligence operations
Supply depots
Defensive fortifications

Comparison to Granada

Luna II and Granada represented competing lunar bases:

Feature	Luna II (Federation)	Granada (Zeon)
Type	Asteroid fortress	Lunar city
Construction	Captured asteroid	Built on Moon surface
Primary Role	Military fortress	Industrial + military
Defensive	Very strong	Moderate
Industrial	Limited	Extensive

Luna II prioritized military strength while Granada emphasized industrial capability.

Significance

Strategic Geography

Luna II demonstrated:

Importance of lunar orbit control
Value of asteroid fortresses
Persistence of strategic locations across conflicts
How military bases shaped regional control

Federation Lunar Presence

The base represented:

Federation’s refusal to cede Moon to Zeon
Continuing military capability in cislunar space
Alternative to ground-based or colony installations
Commitment to maintaining Earth-Moon space control

Asteroid Fortress Concept

Luna II pioneered the asteroid fortress design that would appear throughout UC:

Using natural celestial bodies as bases
Converting asteroids to military use
Defensive advantages of irregular natural structures
Cost-effective alternative to constructed stations

Later UC conflicts would see similar asteroid fortresses (Axis, Pezun, etc.), demonstrating Luna II’s influential design.

Behind the Scenes

Luna II was created for Mobile Suit Gundam as the Federation’s lunar counterbalance to Zeon’s Granada. The asteroid fortress concept provided visually distinctive location whilst suggesting pragmatic military engineering – using available resources (asteroids) rather than building from scratch.

The base’s continued appearances across multiple UC series demonstrated its permanent importance in the timeline’s geography – like Granada, Luna II remained strategically valuable regardless of which conflicts occurred.

Designer Okawara Kunio and the production team created Luna II to appear industrial and military rather than elegant, reinforcing the Federation’s practical approach versus Zeon’s more aesthetic military architecture.

Appearances

External links

Luna II on the Gundam Wiki