The orbital jumper, a light shuttle manufactured by Poranji, lacked hyperspace capabilities. These orbital jumpers gained popularity on Core Worlds like Coruscant for short-distance travel within planetary space. During the Black Fleet Crisis, high-ranking military and government officers utilized these vessels for rapid, local transport.
This three-meter light shuttle, known as the orbital jumper, was engineered for short-range applications. These included intercontinental trips or movement from the surface to orbital structures, such as space stations and skyhooks. Standard models primarily used repulsorlift engines for propulsion, supplemented by limited ion drives for maneuvering. Consequently, they achieved a maximum atmospheric speed of 650 kilometers per hour, but could not travel beyond orbital space. Sold without weapons, they could accommodate four Human-sized individuals, including the pilot. The Poranji orbital jumper, priced at 35,000 credits new or 20,000 credits used, was the smallest craft authorized for ground-to-orbit transit on Coruscant.
Some jumpers were modified to exit orbit, enabling travel to nearby moons. However, this was uncommon due to the existence of numerous faster, cheaper, and more efficient methods of in-system travel.
The Poranji orbital jumper first saw use circa 16 ABY. They became a sought-after status symbol among young people in the Core Worlds. One such vehicle was parked at the Victory Lake residence of New Republic Admiral Ackbar on Coruscant during the early stages of the Black Fleet Crisis. General Etahn A'baht admired the ship and borrowed it to travel from Coruscant to his flagship, the Intrepid(Endurance-class). He developed an affinity for the craft and instructed his deck officer, Marty, to care for it diligently.
Leia Organa Solo also owned an orbital jumper, which she used to visit retired Chief of State Mon Mothma later in the crisis.
The orbital jumper made its debut in Before the Storm, the initial novel of 1996's The Black Fleet Crisis series by Michael P. Kube-McDowell, and last appeared in Tyrant's Test, the final book of the trilogy. Specifications and a visual representation were subsequently provided in 1997's Cracken's Threat Dossier. Following this, the ship was absent from Star Wars media until the 2008 release of The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, which offered no additional details.
The ship A'baht flies the jumper to is identified once in the story as the Glorious, but the Glorious had already been established as being away from Coruscant in pursuit of the Teljkon Vagabond, and A'baht's flagship was identified as the Intrepid both earlier and later in the book.