Orbital defense platform

Introduction
An Orbital Defense Platform is a small space station that is (in theory) in geosynchronous orbit over a city on Earth for which it is named. On board the station is a small contingent of Marines, apparently as a defense force in the event of an enemy boarding. The station's main purpose and feature is its Mark V "Super" MAC gun, which is capable of destroying a Covenant ship with a single hit. The station also has two docking spaces for UNSC ships, apparently available to evacuate station personnel or for other miscellaneous activates. In Halo 2, three stations are mentioned; Cairo Station, Malta Station and Athens Station. The first level you are in combat in Halo 2 starts on Cairo Station, for which the level is named.



Role in Halo: The Fall of Reach
Super MAC Platforms were first mentioned in the book Halo: The Fall of Reach, there were 12 defending the military strong hold Reach running off power from generators on the planet, the Spartans were sent to defend these to buy the UNSC ships in space more time, but eventually failed. After the failure at Reach a UNSC officer wanted to send a small battle group to the Epsilon Eridani system to learn its fate and look for survivors but Colonel James Ackerson refused saying they needed all the ships they could get to defend earth till the new Orbital Defense was up, this turned out to be 300 hundred Super Mac’s around Earth for all round defense.

First Battle Of Earth
During the First Battle Of Earth, the stations proved to be an excellent defense against the Covenant with their MAC guns. However, the Covenant fleet brought bombs with them to destroy the stations from inside. Both the Malta and Athens were destroyed, but the Master Chief was able to prevent the destruction of Cairo station.