Ontarom

Mass Effect Solar System Entry
Though Ontarom's surface is uncomfortably hot, its nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere and abundant, shallow seas make it an ideal candidate for habitation by most known species.

Unfortunately, the orbit of the moon of Thonal has been slowly decaying since the system coalesced. Its proximity is beginning to have tidal effects, and its dynamo-like revolution through Ontarom's magnetic field is generating increasingly powerful electrical storms.

While some have suggested emplacement of mass effect drives in an attempts to lighten the moon and correct its orbit, the scale of such a project - tens of thousands of drives, costing enough to bankrupts the governments of all the Citadel races - make it a pipe dream. A multi-racial effort is underway to catalogue and preserve the unique genetic diversity of Ontarom's vibrant young biosphere. ExoGeni Corp. and Heyuan Genomics represent the Alliance's share of the effort.


 * Note: The Mako can land here.

Mass Effect 3 Solar System Entry
This habitable world had been living in the shadow of disaster long before the Reaper war--its moon's orbit is decaying, causing tidal disruptions and electrical storms before its eventual collision.

When humans settled on Ontarom, the asari derided it as foolish, but today the humans look prescient. The communications hub they set up on the planet has hundreds of quantum communicators, whose information is spread through broadcast on the planet and beamed out via comm buoy. While Ontarom has yet to be attacked by Reaper forces, it is likely just a matter of time.


 * Note: The player can land here in a Kodiak Shuttle for the Communications Hub mission.

Mass Effect 3 Codex Entry
Sixteen years ago, the Systems Alliance established the first dish field on Ontarom, defying the tidal disruptions and electrical storms that periodically sweep across the planet. The facility has since grown into a crucial communications hub for the Alliance.

Trade between the Alliance base and nearby human settlements sustains planetary unity. The Alliance also trains and hires colonists to maintain the quantum communicators, further strengthening the bond between locals and the military forces that use the comm stations.

Although most of the communications relays serve the military, a coalition of Ontarom's businesses has begun construction of a civilian broadcast hub. The local Alliance commander has offered the help of the military's technical experts, making Ontarom a symbol of civilian and military cooperation.