Second Sphere Timeline
20th Century
1951: European Coal and Steel Community established by Treaty of Paris.
1957: Sputnik launched.
1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space.
1969: Apollo 11 mission places men on the Moon.
1986: Mir construction begins.
1991: European Union established by Treaty of Maastricht.
1996: Dolly the Sheep born.
1998: International Space Station construction begins.
21st Century
2002: Prof. Kevin Warwick has the first neural interface implanted.
20XX: First transgenic baby born.
20XX: First commercial fusion reactor built.
Posthuman Age
2050s: Mind uploading and strong AI lead to the rapid iterative development of the Posthumans, who soon cleave away from mainstream (trans)humanity.
2050s-2060s: 'Crazy Years' of transgenic advancement, including the south american retroviral therapies that prove so disastrous.
2059: Posthuman wormhole experiments begin in earnest as several Earth-crossing extinct comets are converted to computronium and scientific equipment via von neuman swarms.
2063: First extrasolar expeditions by posthumans through short-lived, nonstatic wormholes.
2065: Posthumans open wormholes for colonization. The first 'Longshot' expedition is launched with 3000 colonists in hibernation and 40,000 frozen ova, plus various plants, animals and artificial life.
2066: Legal preceedings begin against the retroviral therapy. A number of involved scientists flee on longshot colony expeditions.
2071 (estimated): Precursor delta-dust reverse-engineered by posthumans.
2073: First independently-capable FTL drive publically demonstrated by the posthumans. While only capable of several short jumps before needing lengthy recycle times at fixed facilities, this opens up the immediate area around Sol and all further longshot colonies.
2078: On the 10th anniversary of the Retroviral legal decision, Heron Stauss and Franz-Edward Kaser publish Principles of Responsible Transhumanism. Stauss-Kaserist philosophy soon takes hold in the EU.
2078: Enhanced 'long-jump' drives demonstrated by posthumans; these are extremely bulky and relatively slow but free ships from being tied to local recycle stations.
2079: Stargazer project inaugurated as a UN-led exploration effort. Construction begins on General Secretary exploration constructor ships (some of the largest non-unique starships even to the end of the 22nd century) along with several smaller designs, most notably the Galileo and Challenger classes.
2080-2115: Great Exodust; Longshots taper off as static wormholes become the preferred method of colonization. Most transgenes leave Earth to found colonies.
2081: First static wormhole erected by the posthumans between linked elements delivered to Julia orbit (HIP 37853c) by the GenSec UNS Gladwyn Jebb, allowing the 49.6 ly distance to be crossed in just over two weeks. Over 50 erected over the next decade as far Nibiru, ~220 ly from Earth.
2082: Treaty of Shanghai; this organizes the primary axis of colonization into three primary 'arms'; one for the European Union, one for China (with an auxilary arm for Russia) and one for the Americas and Pacific Rim nations.
2086: First Pacific Arm Colonization Treaty working draft broadly accepted. Generally seen as the start of the PACT.
2092: First commercial longjump exploration ships built by High Pusan Industries. Age of Exploitation launched.
2098: Static wormholes begin to show worrying signs of instability. Posthuman efforts to stabilize them begin to absorb a substantial portion of their processing and productive ability.
22nd Century
Golden Age of Space Exploration
2090-2150: EU and PACT lay out their primary catapult routes, connecting primary and secondary worlds and eventually replacing wormholes as primary transit routes.
2108: Instabilities in static wormholes officially announced, along with lifespans of 'one to two decades'. Timelines for phasing-out of wormhole transport put together over the next half-decade.
2114: Early collapse of wormhole to Shanxi. No fatalities due to several weeks forewarning that it was entering final destabilization, but confidence in the continued lifespan of wormholes is shaken.
2116: First static wormhole (to Nibiru) closed on schedule. All wormholes to the Rim are closed by the end of 2122.
2119: Eridanus campaign begins, first major engagement against hybridized feral xenodrones.
2121: Static wormholes to Kanon, Londenium and Neue Silesia closed.
2122: The second extinct xenosophonts are retroactively discovered, the Velans.
2127: Last static wormhole closed. Colonies outside of the immediate core region isolated save fartraders and local traffic.
2120-2150: China's 'golden era'.
The Breakdown
2152: A computer virus believed to be of posthuman or otherwise transcendal origin is released by seperatists in the outer Chinese arm, leading to the Breakdown as all longjump drives burn out. The Great Firewall seperates the Core/Expanse from the Rim, which already has limited communications with the inner worlds. Local trade continues via shortjump drives, but large sections of the Expanse are effectively cut off.
2155: Breakdown virus purged from Earth's drive kernels - but the damage is done.
2152-2160: The core's Lost Decade as economies contract violently, ushering in an era of economic stagnation.
2160: Magnates begin seizing nearby worlds as the expansionistic, pro-military hawks take political power.
2161: ZOCU founded at the Council of Londenium, tying together an unofficial local trade bloc.
2162: Cooperation negotiations begin among the future League nations.
2163: ConArm (Consolidated European Arm Exploration) formed by the nationalization and consolidation of various pre-Breakdown far trade companies in order to restart trade with the outer expanse worlds. ConArm fartrade fleet re-engined with 2nd generation jump drives.
2164: Magnate invasion of the League frontline worlds. Typically taken as the start of the 'Magnate War'.
2165: Shiva Vakkari Conflict. Theta drives developed by ZOCU.
2170-2190: Second wave of catapult construction begins. Far traders are a heavy presence in the outer Expanse. General expansion of Core sovereignity into the outer Expanse.
2180: Solomon Armistice signed, suspending the Magnate war.
2181-2184: Increasing tensions between ZOCU and the EU/PACT. Several border clashes on New Mercia between Loyalist and Seperatist forces.
2182: Che forces seize Carabellas, rename it Malvinas.
2186: UN Resolution 11079 comes into effect, green-lighting the Japanese and Korean 'interventions' into ZOCU space.
2187: ZOCU removes core forces from their worlds, continued fighting in space.
2188: ZOCU war ends after an inconclusive year of space battles.
2195: Current Day; Turians invade the Sphere via the Tanhauser Gate.