The image above is a schematic of the stations around Earth, part of the design for an upcoming expansion, codenamed "Near Stars," due to be released by the end of the year.

The current game mentions star systems like Centauri and Sirius. And of course, everyone wants to see what the Solar System is like in the Transcendence universe. I'm really excited to be finally implementing those systems and giving everyone a chance to visit them.

The Near Stars (Sol in particular) are different from the rest of Human Space. As the Commonwealth grew in strength, centered on St. Katharine's Star, the Near Stars were left behind. The scars of the Syrtis War are plainly visible, and centuries-old conflicts between Earth-sovereigns prevent a grand unification.

I don't want to give any spoilers today, so I'm not going to describe the stations in the image. And, of course, I suspect the actual game will change somewhat from this conceptual image. Nevertheless, I hope you'll enjoy this first peek at the environs around Earth, and I promise to keep posting my progress through the development process.