Interstellar Engineering & Manufacturing (IEM) began with two enterprising locals on Mars (Sol IV) who pooled their credits to purchase a used planetary shuttlecraft. Unfortunately, their dreams were dashed when that ship was stolen before they could even take their first flight. Undeterred, they acquired a local transfer shuttle that was written off as unrepairable. However, after procuring spare parts from local scrapyards and sealing the hull the Rusty Comet became the first vessel to carry the IEM name into the stars.

Both founders were versatile workers, taking on various jobs across Mars, Phobos, Deimos, and nearby stations as they pursued UEE citizenship. After upgrading to a freight ship equipped with a reliable quantum drive, IEM made a significant move, establishing a hangar on ArcCorp (Stanton III) to serve as their base of operations.

From there, IEM began to thrive, completing freelance contracts for major companies like ArcCorp, Hurston Dynamics, MicroTech, and Crusader Industries, along with occasional personal contracts. Through hard work IEM has been able to expand from their one ship to a fleet of industrial ships and contractors. Their journey transformed IEM from a humble startup into a player in the interstellar industry.