Timeline - 1610: Telescopes first scour the night sky, finding it imperfect and vast

1813: The mathematical foundation for rocket travel is laid down

1917: Terrans observe an extra-solar planet for the first time, but they do not understand what they have seen.

1957: First permanent terran object put into orbit, Sputnik 1

1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes first terran to cross into outer space

July 1969: NATO astronauts set foot on another solar body for the first time, Luna. They collect soil samples, record a short video, and return home.

September 1969: USSR cosmonauts complete their first lunar landing. Due to complications, they are forced to land on the far side of the moon. Orbiting command module confirms landing was successful, establishes relay communication with earth. Command module ordered to cut off all contact and accelerate into the landing site, resulting in total mission loss. Mission subsequently reclassified as unmanned. Further lunar exploration deemed nonviable.

1975: First probe sends back photographs from the surface of Venus.

1976: First signal received from Luna, prompting immediate warming of relations between NATO and the USSR, and the formation of a joint space program.

Chernobyl obvs
1986: Development of the Gravity Projection Drive. Test activation in western USSR energetically confirms that the Drive cannot be used within a gravity well. Indefinite quarantine and cover story established, construction of a permanent containment structure for the resulting gravitic anomaly begins.

Great solar storm of 1989
1989: Gravity Projection Drive activated at L3 Lagrange Point. The resulting energetic discharge bombarding the sun initiated a coronal mass ejection event disrupting terrestrial communications and power infrastructure. Gravitic resonance confirmed as the cause, minimum safe activation distance determined to be approx 30 AU, or 4.5 billion km.

1995: First extraterrestrial solar system, TRAPPIST-1 visited by autonomous Gravity Projection Drive probe. System's star is extremely low-mass, allowing the probe to jump within 9 AU of the star. Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e confirmed to host an earth-like atmosphere. No signs of technological life detected. System is determined to be an ideal candidate for colonization.

Event Horizon movie
1997: First human crew attempts travel to TRAPPIST-1 via Gravity Projection Drive. Crew survival data prompts rapid development of new methods of non-destructively halting neural activity.

2007: Permanent space station constructed at 9AU from TRAPPIST-1 to receive incoming ships. The joint NATO-USSR space program establishes an independent colonial government with total jurisdiction over the TRAPPIST-1 system. In their first act, they rename planet TRAPPIST-1e to Liberāte, representing freedom and salvation from Earth.

2017: First colonists arrive on Liberāte. Gravity Projection Drive ships begin making regular trips to TRAPPIST-1.

2019: Game starts.

2027: Colony ship LWT-TRA-54B (player's ship) misses scheduled arrival in TRAPPIST-1. No trace of the ship's EM signature can be found. Gravitic travel halted pending investigation.

2028: Gravitic travel resumes. Ship declared loss, cause undetermined.

2037: Orbital monitoring stations around Neptune detect Terran-encoded EM signals from bodies within the Kuiper belt. Signals appear to be deliberate transmissions, no known source.

2038: TRAPPIST-1 loses contact with the solar system.