Golden Age of Space Colonization

From Halo: Daybreak

The Golden Age of Space Colonization was a period of human history that began in the 2040s, and ended in the unrest of the 2130s. It preceded the Interplanetary War.

With the drastic reduction in orbital launch costs and new interest from pioneering attempts, humans begin to spread throughout the Sol system. The first attempts are made at settling Mars, the Jovian Moons, and the other satellites of the system. The unique challenges of permanent space habitation and the desire for raw materials leads to a new technological renaissance. The creation of ever-improving habitats, AI developments, and medical advances that overcome the various health aliments eventually sees millions of people living in space by the end of the century. Indeed, it was an optimistic time for many, and represented one of the greatest leaps for the human race.

The period was far from worry-free, however. On Earth, the planet was plagued by habitability disasters; while overpopulation was now being relieved, pollution, mass extinction, and global warming were all still major issues. The various nations were far from unified, and while the United Nations became more involved over the period, it remained ineffective at nullifying the threat of nuclear weapons or warfare. In addition, the colonists of space also become disgruntled, with the truth of ZGene sparking outrage. This in turn led to extreme political ideologies taking shape, eventually leading to the founding of the communist Koslovics and the facist Frieden.