Ad Astra (Scenario)

Repurposed for a new scenario. WIP

2021

 * Having successfully delivered a basic-deal Brexit, Boris Johnson resigns as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, making way for Rishi Sunak to be elected leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister.
 * The previous year's uneasy post-election peace comes to an abrupt halt when a pro-Trump mob storms the Capitol building. This hammers the final nail in the Trump coffin as many in the Republican party abandon Trump and his policies in favour of new up-and-coming stars such as Nikki Haley, whom they believe may bring decorum and respect back to the Grand Old Party. Following the events at the capital, a great purge of conservative and pro-Hong Kong social media accounts, including that of the POTUS himself, as well as the removal of alternative social media platforms Gab and Parler from the Play Store and App Store spark global outrage and concern at the censorial nature of Big Tech. Unfortunately, this outrage falls on largely deaf ears as factional politicians celebrate their election victories. Many warn that at the end of the day, Big Tech is only concerned about Big Tech, and the day will come when today's allies of Bog Tech are considered enemies.

2022

 * Despite an otherwise low approval rating, President Macron wins a second term as President of France in largely a repeat of the 2017 election. However, his lead over Marine Le Pen in the second round of the presidential election is significantly less than before, with the latter winning 46% of the vote to Macron's 54%. With an election centered largely around immigration, Islam, French values, and the European Union, observers remark that France appears to be following in Britain's footsteps towards an increasing demand for national autonomy and independence from outside influence and obligations.
 * The Act of Union is passed by the United Kingdom Parliament, reaffirming the UK's nature as a unitary state and revoking all unenumerated powers from devolved governments. The Act of Union simultaneously grants more enumerated devolved powers to the devolved governments, and also grants many enumerated powers to the regions of England. Regional government is reformed such that Regional councils are now composed of the members of county councils, ex officio. County and regional governments now share many new powers including power over healthcare, transport, and welfare.

2023

 * Attempts by Republican lawmakers in the United States to introduce a social media neutrality act, defining social media platforms of a certain size as being akin to a public square and therefore subject to editorial neutrality, are quashed by Democrats. The hypocrisy of both Democrats and Republicans are made fun of by the general public, with commentators pointing out the Democrats' inconsistency in supporting net neutrality but not social media neutrality, and the Republicans' hypocrisy in supporting the opposite.

2024

 * Nikki Haley and Dan Crenshaw are elected POTUS and VPOTUS, defeating former VP Kamala Harris and her running mate Pete Buttigieg, making Nikki Haley the first female POTUS. A newly Republican Senate and a slim Democratic majority in the House of Representatives pass the Platform Neutrality Act, an act enacting both net neutrality and social media neutrality. Many hail this development as a step in the right direction for free speech and a free internet.
 * The British Conservative Party is returned to power with a narrow majority. The Labour Party makes massive gains in Scotland at the Scottish National Party's expense, following 2022's Act of Union. The Liberal Democrats make few gains.

2025

 * Dissatisfaction with the British Conservative Party grows as many supporters seek a more firm stand against the far left. A new Liberal Party is created and a number of high profile defections occur from the Conservative party. Separately, the United Kingdom follows in the footsteps of America in its introduction of social media neutrality, something widely popular among the Conservative voter base. Australia announces plans to follow suit.

2026

 * Continued support and use of authoritarian policies by the governments of Hungary and Poland cause friction between them and the EU to reach a boiling point, resulting in their departure from the European Union. Both countries' governments narrowly lose their next elections to moderately pro-EU parties who re-apply for membership, but their membership is vetoed by France and Germany.
 * France and Italy each take a more independent course of action with regards to foreign policy, and an increasingly antagonistic stance towards central EU regulators with regards to domestic economic policy, with both countries petitioning for further reform of the EU towards being more decentralized.

2027

 * Following further defections, the British Conservative Party loses its majority and an early general election is called. The Liberal Party makes massive gains and no party is able to achieve a majority in Parliament. A tenuous coalition between the Conservative Party and Liberal Party forms, resulting in legislation safeguarding freedom of speech, religion, and expression; legislation safeguarding economic freedom, and civil freedom.

2030

 * SpaceX establishes its first Martian base consisting of 7 personnel. More personnel and equipment are to follow. This is a world first, marking the first time a private company has successfully beat a national government in the space race.

2031

 * The Eurozone Crisis occurs, catalyzed by the inability of member nations to pursue independent monetary policy.

2032

 * As a result of the Eurozone Crisis and the ongoing economic and political turmoil that resulted, Italy, Greece, and Spain all leave the Eurozone.
 * Following a tumultuous French presidential election, France removes itself from the Eurozone, restoring the Franc as France's national currency. Following this event and in light of growing public disenchantment with the Euro, discussions begin with regards to the disbandment of the Eurozone. Many smaller central European nations oppose this development, but Germany appears to support returning the Deutschemark to national currency status.

2035

 * Reforms to the European Union result in significantly reduced legislative power for the European Union. Furthermore, reforms to EU institutions result in the abolition of the Council of the European Union and its replacement by the European Senate, composed of representatives of each ministerial portfolio, appointed by the relevant ministers of each member state in a similar fashion to the direct membership of ministers in the former Council of the European Union. Moreover, the allocation of seats for each nation for the European Parliament is recalculated to reduce the effects of over-proportionment.

2036

 * The United States of America creates the Federal Space Authority (FSA), an agency dedicated to regulating and facilitating private sector and commercial space endeavours, including off-world mining.
 * NASA establishes the first permanent Martian base with personnel rotations occurring every 2 years.

2045

 * As widespread civil unrest in the Arab world turns to civil war, Western troops in the region are called back home though some are diverted to protect embassies from the rapidly escalating violence. The price of oil and gas quadruples due to sharp drops in oil exports from the Arab world.
 * The European Space Agency begins construction of an orbital space station. The European Space Board (ESB) is created to regulate and facilitate private and commercial space travel, following in the footsteps of America's Federal Space Authority.
 * Following a significant boost in funding, NASA begins construction of an American spaceport which would allow for spaceships to be constructed and launched from space, potentially significantly reducing the cost of interplanetary travel.

2046

 * Casualties in the Pan-Arab Revolution surpass 30,000. British troops see some action in Egypt and Arabia as part of an evacuation of tourists and foreign businesspeople.
 * NASA constructs its first permanent lunar base.
 * Skyrocketing oil and gas prices cause a global surge in invstment in renewables and nuclear energy. India, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States are all leading innovators in the field of nuclear power, with some focusing on Thorium-based power (India, Australia, USA, UK) and others focusing on Uranium-based power (USA, France).

2047

 * Days after the lackluster Supreme Leader of China dies in his sleep, the Three Gorges Damn bursts, flooding hundreds of cities and towns downstream. The wave of water and ensuing flooding kills 3 million people within hours, and makes a further 300 million people homeless overnight. Within months, millions more die from starvation as one of China's breadbaskets, the Yangtze River Delta is too inundated to be farmed. Asian stock markets crash and China's economy is projected to fall by 16%. The world's largest ongoing humanitarian disaster ensues.
 * Towards the end of the year, the Pan-Arab Revolution comes to a close in North Africa and Southern Arabia with democratic governments installed. War continues in Saudi Arabia as the House of Saud refuses to surrender.
 * The independent city-state of Jerusalem is established. The Israelis and Palestinians reconcile.
 * The ESA launches its first permanent lunar base not far from America's base.

2048

 * The Chinese government attempts to cover up the true cause of the Three Gorges Damn (TGD) collapse and continues to mishandle the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Despite shut downs of large portions of China's internet service, photographs and video emerges showing Chinese troops firing on civilians protesting the killing of a number of locals caught stealing to support their homeless families. Further photo and video evidence shows this to be a widespread phenomena as 300 million internally displaced Chinese citizens become more desperate by the day as the CCP fails to adequately feed its population with a quarter of its food producing land gone and 300 million new mouths unable to feed themselves. The UN passes a resolution condemning the lack of transparency, brutality, and ineptitude of the Chinese government.
 * By the end of the year, widespread civil unrest spreads across China, led particularly by pro-democracy students. Many claim the CCP has '"lost the mandate of heaven" and should relinquish power.

2049

 * The latest leader of China is assassinated by a WIP

2050

 * The European Space Agency constructs its first Martian base.

2061

 * SpaceX's Martian colony (called "Sands of Mars") expands to over 100 people. As regular Starship launches begin, the Sands of Mars looks to be the largest off-world human colony.

2069

 * Fusion power plants become a mainstream source of energy. Preliminary research is already being conducted by major world powers into fusion-powered space craft. The Nuclear Research Treaty (NRT) of 2067 paves the way for research and usage of non-weapon nuclear power in space. The treaty does not ban military applications of nuclear research, only nuclear weaponry is prohibited.

2070

 * The British Bullion Company goes public and hits its $6bn goal in capital raised within a year.

2071

 * The British Bullion Company completes pre-launch production and launches its first 4-year-long semi-automated asteroid mining mission with a crew of 15 personnel. This marks the beginning of the Asteroid Rush, with dozens of new companies across the globe following suit.

2073

 * NASA expands its permanent lunar base to accommodate up to 100 personnel at a given time. This results in many international partnerships between NASA and other space agencies as NASA's Martian base (named Red Horizons) pays host to many scientists from other nations. Many new scientific apparatus are also constructed.
 * British company

2074

 * With the aid of America's lunar base, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) construct their own permanent lunar base.

2075

 * China, India, and Russia construct their own permanent lunar bases.

2078

 * SpaceX's Sands of Mars reaches a population of 3,000 people, all private individuals employed by SpaceX or families of SpaceX employees.

2079

 * A joint intergovernmental mission between Latin American countries - under the umbrella of the 10 year old Latin American Space Command (LASC) - constructs a permanent lunar base.
 * The Joint Arab Space Administration (JASA) constructs its first independent space station.

2082

 * The ESA expands its Martian base.

2083

 * The United Nations Outer Space Treaty is repealed and replaced with the Space Exploration Treaty, allowing for national claims of extra-terrestrial territory, registered with the United Nations Space Office.

2085

 * China constructs its first Martian base.
 * The nations of ASEAN construct their first joint space station under the control of the South East Asian Space Agency (SEASA).

2086

 * Russia, South America, Mexico, and India construct their first manned Martian bases.

2097

 * The JASA constructs its first manned lunar base. The same year it follows with the completion of its first Martian base.

2100

 * As the new century is celebrated across the globe, various governmental and non-governmental colonies on the Moon and Mars report progress in the construction of underground habitats, water-processing facilities and greenhouses. Almost all government colonies tend to be scientific, aiming to expand humanity's knowledge with regards to extra-terrestrial colonization; each nation aiming to out-do others.

2120

 * A multitude of orbital stations, lunar bases, and Martian bases are operated by a variety of governmental and intergovernmental initiatives from around the world. The African Union Space Command (AUSC), the space agency of the increasingly united African Union, operates an ambitious space station aiming to be the world's first fully-fledged space shipyard. The total off-world population has grown to 110,000.

2135

 * Over 20 orbiting space shipyards are now in operation as polities and corporations from around the world race to build spacecraft for colonization and resource transport. The first Martian towns have been established.

2150

 * A massive wave of immigration to the moon occurs as sustainable lunar living is achieved. This is accompanied by breakthroughs in bioscience with the successful introduction of low-gravity crops, as well as the development of 3D printed housing. The rush to the Moon is spurred on by the widespread popularity of space-themed films and tv shows romanticising lunar and space life, not unlike that of the Old West of America.
 * While laws vary from territory to territory, most European, North American, and ASEAN colonies require citizens to maintain robust muscle mass via mandatory exercise.

2160

 * A breakthrough in space propulsion is made with the invention of the nuclear fusion drive, allowing for Helium-3 to be used as a far more efficient source of fuel for spacecraft. This cuts travel time to Mars down to 2 weeks and significantly boosts demand for Helium-3 mined on the Moon.

2200

 * At the dawn of the new century the population of the Moon reaches 5 million and the population of Mars reaches 1 million.

2227

 * The British Malapert Colony is renamed British Malapert. The territory's 690,000 people are granted control over most domestic affairs. Responsible government is introduced in addition to the continuance of British parliamentary representation of the lunar colony.
 * The British colony of Tahara similarly achieves responsible government for its 300,000 people.

2264

 * The National Crime Service (NCS) is established by the British government with jurisdiction across all British territories and colonies. It is tasked primarily with the policing of interplanetary organised crime.

2289

 * The Dominion of Malapert (population ~ 2.3 million) and the Dominion of Tahara (population ~ 2.7 million) are proclaimed, and are each granted home rule over domestic affairs.

2300

 * As the new year is celebrated across the solar system, the population of the Moon reaches 70 million and the population of Mars reaches 31 million. The combined population of other off-world territories, including those living in asteroid habitats and on Singanyata (Ceres) reaches 2 million, though a lot of it is highly transient and dependant on mining seasons. The population of Earth continues to fall ever so slowly from a population peak of 10 billion, even as the off-world population increases at astonishing rates.

2357

 * The Dominion of Tahara is granted independence as the Commonwealth of Tahara with a population of 5 million. Tahara becomes a Commonwealth Realm with the monarch of the United Kingdom as head of state, but acting in a separate capacity as monarch of Tahara. The Dominion of Malapert achieves full self-government, including over foreign policy, but does not fully sever ties with the United Kingdom, continuing to overarching authority.

2400

 * As a new century dawns, the population of the Moon reaches 153 million and the popultion of Mars reaches 187 million.

Nations

 * Commonwealth of Tahara
 * Singanyata

Corporations

 * British Bullion Company