Earth Cargo Service

The Earth Cargo Service (or ECS) was the primary operating agency governing the operations of Earth-registered interstellar cargo transport vessels in the first half of the 22nd century. It was governed by the Earth Cargo Authority. Ships needed a license to operate under the ECS, which in some cases could be lost if a rendezvous was missed.

Prior to Starfleet's NX program taking off with the launch of Enterprise (NX-01) in 2151, ships of the Earth Cargo Service were Earth's only real presence in outer space. The crew of these ships would spend years traveling from one planet to another; whole generations of these "boomers" grew up in space, and the ownership of ships often passed down family lines.