The events of each game turn occur in a series of phases.  You submit a complete set of your empire's orders for all phases of the turn.   When the turn deadline arrives (or sooner if the GM has received orders from all empires) all orders for all empires are processed simultaneously, one phase at a time.
 
Updates are run at regular intervals with enough time in between to allow for negotiations, strategy, and submission of orders.  Typically this is once per week.
 
The game server maintains a dedication rating (DR) for each player (not empire).  Your DR increases by one if you have submitted your orders before the turn's deadline.  If you miss a turn's deadline, you will lose three DR.  This has no direct impact on the game, but every player's DR is maintained on the game server and can affect whether or not you are invited to join future games.  If you think you're going to miss a deadline, please let your game master know, rather than let your DR slip.   If a player missed a turn deadline without letting the GM know, the GM has the option to declare that player's empire abandoned.  See the section about Abandoned Empires.
 
While the turn update is in progress, the game server will not accept any orders for or allowed communication among empires.  Once the update is complete, players will be notified and may access their updated empire information.