Death Star
this satellite-sized battle station was developed by the Geonosians, under the direction of Darth Tyranus. These plans were later refined by Tol Sivron at the Maw installation, and the battle station was built by Bevel Lemelisk and Imperial Engineering. As the Alliance began to gather support, it was Grand Moff Tarkin who asked for a superweapon with which he could control the entire Outer Rim Territory, and the Death Star was the perfect weapon. It housed a huge superlaser which combined the output of multiple lasers into a single, focused beam. A huge focusing lens was built to accomplish this, located on the upper hemisphere. The superlaser was designed to be targeted at anything from a capital ship to a planet. This objective was known only to a select few, for Tarkin and the Maw's top scientists decided that they should downplay the role of superweapon to keep the project on schedule. In order to ensure continued cooperation of their employees, project engineers were told that the station would be used to break down dead planets, in an effort to reach the core of elements easier.
...According to Imperial sources, the first Death Star took too long to construct, exceeding Palpatine's every deadline. It was built in orbit around the prison world Despayre. Labor for the construction was taken at will from the prison below. When the first Death Star was completed, Tarkin ordered the superlaser tested on the planet Despayre itself. Needless to say, this initial test exceeded even Tarkin's wildest dreams.