The moon Vanate orbits the gas giant Bayern in the AX Microscopii system. There has been no evidence yet found that prior to Das Sternen Reich establishing a colony here that there was any prior settlement here. There has been some anecdotal evidence that the Thalor visited the body and left a few artifacts behind but this has never been confirmed.

The colony on Vanate was first established around 2520 as a mining facility. To this day Vanate remains a source of raw materials for the Reich. Population growth has been very slow, advancing technology has resulted in greater automation being employed rather than increasing people.

During the Reich/UWC war (2638 to 2640) the population of Vanate did expand for a time as the mines could not keep up with the demand of the Reichs war machine. During this period the Gerhart Station was built as a planetary defence platform. The platform did see some action against UWC raiders and was slightly damaged.

In 2645 Gerhart Station was moved out of orbit around Vanate and placed in a planetary orbit of its own where the station remains. It is believed that the station now serves as a prison for political prisoners of the Reich.

The population of Vanate has fallen back to its pre-war levels but with the REich rearming new mines and infrastructure are being built resulting in a higher rate of population growth.