In the year 2078, humanity has brushed the dirt off its shoulders from the trials and tribulations of the 21st century. Climate change, global political unrest, economic crises - they've seen it all and emerged in the era of the great beyond: space, the final frontier and the vast, unyielding mystery that has tantalised many for centuries. No longer confined to their terrestrial cradle, humans have reached into the cosmos, hungry for discovery, for resources, for a new beginning. The stars are no longer just twinkling specks of light millions of miles away; they're destinations.
The International Space Coalition (ISC), born from the ashes of old space agencies, is at the forefront of this cosmic journey. With the brightest minds and the bravest souls, they push the boundaries, charting and exploring our solar system and beyond. Spacecraft have become humanity's new sails, and the solar winds their ocean currents, leading them to worlds uncharted and wonders unseen.
Dr. Sarah Brighton stands at the vanguard of these explorers, a geologist by training and an astronaut by vocation. Her latest mission: Commander of the ISC's deep-space vessel, the Artemis Explorer. The ship is a marvel of human engineering, equipped with the latest in propulsion technology, artificial intelligence, and life support systems. Its crew, handpicked from the elite, is a cadre of scientists, engineers, and pilots, each an expert in their field, each dedicated to the cause that unites them: extending the reach of human civilisation into the stars.
Their destination is no random point in the void but a carefully selected exoplanet dubbed Proxima Centauri b, orbiting the closest star to the Sun. Previous probes and telescopes have hinted at its Earth-like conditions, a siren's song for the potentials of colonization and the secrets it may hold. The Artemis Explorer's mission is to confirm the habitability of Proxima Centauri b and pave the way for future generations to inhabit a new world.
