A role-based definition of a space carrier

A conventional aircraft-carrier description includes the air group, fuel, maintenance, control, accommodations, and the moving flight deck that supports them. The space-carrier definition makes parasite craft, rather than a particular hull form, the defining system. Shipboard guns or missiles can remain as backups, but a true carrier stands off while its craft perform the principal attack and defense. Keeping the parent ship out of direct combat is also a survival requirement in vacuum. Its large crew, support facilities, and built-in redundancy make the carrier a far better refuge than the small craft it launches.