When mankind began spreading its wings outward to the stars, new opportunities opened up for corporations to develop the tools necessary for the new wave of colonization.
         Crosus Engineering was an engineering firm noted for its revolutionary chassis that tripled the load-bearing weight of construction machines. Univayle Systems was a scientific research firm based in the Congan jungle. A chance meeting and a radical idea shared between CEO’s led to one of the odder mergers of the time-a gamble that paid off in spades.  
         Newly christened Croyle Systems presented the Cortez prototype at the Colonization Expo in 2114. The design catered to the needs of new colony teams-the ability to traverse most types of terrain while conducting extensive long-term terraforming research with facilities for up to a couple dozen researchers-and netted the company several lucrative contracts.
         Several variants of the Cortez were developed, with the "Series N" being the most popular during the Star League era. The revolutionary cargo modules used a Slide-In/Slide-Out (SISO) system that allowed enormous flexibility for a multitude of environments and research protocols. The Cortez became the choice of interstellar terraforming and colonization companies up until the advent of the Succession Wars.
         With the market drying up and the four primary factories on Daniels, Demeter, Muphrid and Capolla destroyed, Croyle Systems went bankrupt in less than a year and disappeared.
         Explorer vehicles fell out of use as parts became rare and eventually most Cortezes vanished for several centuries.
         Until Donovan-Miter.
         Donovan Limited, a small exploration company contracted with the Explorer Corps, came across an abandoned Cortez in the mid-3040’s on CJW-7228, a small system three jumps off the FWL border. Unable to refurbish the ancient vehicle, the Board of Directors instead partnered with Miter Interstellar Research to reverse-engineer it with hopes of designing a new platform that could be sold to others contracted through the Corps.
         The Magellan project was shelved when the Clan Invasion hit. Donovan-Miter’s contract was not renewed and the company almost went under until it was approached by Interstellar Expeditions, an archaeological consortium focused on the mysteries of the legendary "Minnesota Tribe." With a large infusion of capital-and a seat on IE’s board-the discarded prototype was finished and the Magellan began limited production runs.  
         Opting not to completely replicate the Cortez, Donovan-Miter switched to a cheaper electric engine so that smaller companies could afford it. Because of its low cost and wider availability, the Magellan became the de facto choice of many labs and research firms involved in planetary exploration and study before the Jihad.
         After the Jihad ended, ComStar's Explorer Corps once again had the resources to pursue interstellar studies and they requested an upgrade of this unit that more closely resembled the older Cortez, but with modern technology. ComStar pointed Donovan-Miter to Aldis Industries of Terra, a company that already built many impressive vehicle designs, and the fusion-powered Series Five soon resulted. ComStar funded the construction of a full-scale manufacturing plant on Terra after testing the design and has kept it coming off the lines as fast as possible ever since.

         The Series Five is the best Donovan-Miter Magellan yet made. The expanded communications module includes scanning and recording equipment, as well as a small satellite uplink to allow real-time planetary coordination between multiple teams. Additionally, the cargo area was optimized for a wide variety of equipment. With ComStar's help the Donovan-Miter team re-engineered the SISO system found in the Cortez and improved on it, giving it a fully modular bay system for research and exploration modules. The standard Series Five is designed for use in any environment, from toxic to airless, while a variant, the Series Five Five as it is often called, is also amphibious capable. The added weight makes it heavier and slower, but it is often used on water-heavy worlds.

         ComStar's Explorer Corps and Interstellar Expeditions make heavy use of this design, as do some other exploration groups with the funds to purchase them from ComStar. They are fairly rare outside those two organizations though.