The Progress Phase is marked by rapid boosts of increased technological developments (for space travel alongside other technologies) and periods of slow development in between. The first man in space was a British-Indian, Aayush Thakor, he stayed in orbit for 5 days, all this occurring in 1901. The Combined French-British Agency of Space considered this a massive achievement (not only for them but all mankind); at the time in an arms race with German, American, and other nations' space agencies.

The rapid progression of technology meant that the prospect of lunar habitation was being seriously discussed. In 1909, the Japanese Space Agency sent a probing rocket to the moon, taking pictures of the Lunar landscape. Unfortunately for the Japanese, a malfunction would find it in the hands of the British in the Raj (British India) after returning. The Great Powers were rushed into a hasty conference to divide the moon before other powers colonised it. This conference was held the following year, it would come to be known as the Partition of a Thousand Souls. It was a year-long venture of claims, agreements, and scientific work.

Luna (the moon) was divided into four territories by the British, Germans, French, and Americans. Information of the treaty was intercepted by the Dutch in 1914 under threats of releasing it to the world, a new conference was called. The Great Powers would relent and further divide up the moon adding Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, Austria, Russian, and Belgian claims and interests. The new treaty called the Partition of Ten-Thousand Souls was largely based on the previous treaty but granted small territories to each of the new members.

Around 1919 - 1930, the first settlements were founded on the moon. At first, primarily scientific outposts focused on research, but as time went on they would grow into larger settlements, and then colonies. While the Great European War put many projects on hold until its conclusion in 1928, immediately afterwards, massive post-war industries were focused on the moon instead of Earth. The focus of industries and prosperity on Luna resulted in mass emigration from Earth and an immense influx of people living on the moon. Yet while the moon prospered many nations on Earth crumbled. Postwar nations like Spain and Lithuania went into deep economic recessions, while other nations fell into a state of instability.

1944 marked two shifts in the colonial landscape. The first was when, after the fall of the Russian Tsar, a new Polish State expanded rapidly and had huge growth. Russian claims on the moon shifted to the hands of the Polish. The second was the bombing of the Italian countryside and the destruction of industry, meaning the country's economic capabilities were severely reduced, causing a diminished Italian presence on Luna.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, the Japanese were busy exploiting the Chinese mainland through puppet regimes, allowing their government to increase its presence on the Asian continent and the moon.

The Lunar political landscape was polarized due to mass emigration of minority religious and ethnic groups alongside followers of fringe ideologies from Earth to its satellite. Small cults popped across the selenosphere, the largest being the Majani. Beginning in an area of the American Lunar Territory sometime in the mid-20th century,** it would slowly gain a large following. The Majani are often used as a scapegoat more so than Jewish and other minority groups, resulting in massacres akin to those of the Armenian and Jews in OTL.

Another aspect of the time period is a flood of indentured servants to the moon, those who signed servitude contracts because they were unable to afford the expense of travel. Most neglected to read the fine print; the terms of these contracts made their signees work for the entity sending them to the moon for a given amount of time depending on the money given, the field of education of the signee majored in, and the scarcity of workers in the given field. The result was harsh treatment and conditions levied on the new inhabitant of the moon.

The German population reacted negatively to other Germans being forced to go through a servitude contract so most often had their moving paid for by their family. Instead, Finns, Poles, Czechs, and Bulgarians would be sent to the moon via servitude contracts to ensure a colony remained functional. These "immigrants" would often be working in miserable conditions for 8 - 27 years in construction, mining, forestry, and bioforming, or other jobs enabling the colony to expand. Of course, the Germans were far from the sole power to enact this policy. A similar policy was enacted by the British Empire which created the "Indian Belt" a region dedicated to agriculture where Indian people are the dominant ethnic group.

A symptom of prolonged habitation on the moon was the inevitable denaturing of enzymes and proteins due to its lower gravity (0.37g). Due to this, many of the affluent upper class sent their spouses and children to Earth to develop without negative side effects. This practice was a key element of revolutionary propaganda and often played a large role in the dissolution of many governments.

From 1919 to 2000, the most important side of the moon was the Earth-facing side. There are many factors that caused this: subconscious bias, the Lunar rain system, and finally easier navigation and communication. This meant that early players on the moon had extensive and enforced claims (e.g. Shaoyi Genocide), this forced smaller, less powerful nations to the fringes of colonisation and the frontier of the moon. While the Europeans and Americans claimed the most valuable territories of the moon, the Chinas, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Egypt, and numerous others sent thousands of willing labourers to the frontiers.

The immense migration to the moon by minor powers would significantly increase following the Double-Asteroid impact that ravaged Europe. The European powers declined and fled the horrid conditions on Earth, this is how states such as Hadrianus were formed. Massive immigration of Spanish people from Earth fled in droves to the moon. Often treated poorly, many revolted but ended up unsuccessful, only those residing on islands with a majority of Spanish were able to gain freedom and independence.

Mars, like Luna, was blessed with life and large quantities of water. Though, unlike Luna, Mars was limited to single-celled life and small lakes and seas. It thus took significant effort to get Mars to the state in which it finds itself today. This era is marked by the attempt to make Mars a sustainable environment for humans. While the main focus was on enlarging shipments from Earth to Luna, a substantial number of businesses, governments, and other entities began to focus on the prospect of long-term space flights. As technology improved, it enabled governments to send expeditions to Mars and other far-off astronomical bodies, where various forms of scientific data were collected including discovering the vast diversity of life throughout the Solar System.

For a brief period of time, colonial ambitions shifted to the possibilities of Mars instead of Luna. Both the Terran and Lunar populations decreased significantly while the Martian population skyrocketed in only a few decades. The rapid population growth compared to the slower Lunar growth can be explained by advances in technology and greater industry. Another difference between Luna and Mars is the percentage of colonists who were from western countries. Martian colonisation was neither as western-centric nor streamlined when compared to the Moon, and a result of this was the Race to Mars. The Race to Mars was the quarrel between smaller parties, which all tried establishing their own colonial states. During this chaotic time, many people were born and killed, villages established and destroyed, nations created and dissolved, and alliances formed and broken.

Similar to the earlier era focused on Mars, this era is marked by the research of Venus. This research was focused on the world's climate and methods to make it suitable for human habitation. Ideas were explored such as the formation of a habitable atmosphere or the shifting of Venus' orbit.

The focus of this era was also based on prolonging human habitation in its colonies. Crucial to this was engineering a way to stop and perhaps prevent the enzyme and protein denaturing that was a result of growing up in low gravity. From delaying the inevitable onset of Alzheimer's to improving bone density and muscle strength to allow Martians and Lunars to better adapt to the conditions of the mother world, Earth. The age of the affluent being the sole benefactors of proper human development was ending, no longer would they be forced to send to their spouses and children to Earth or an O'neil cylinder.

The modern era is defined by rising tension across the solar system, it concludes with the Great Lunar War, spanning the whole of Luna and parts of Mars. It marks the first-time full-scale attacks on space stations occurred, alongside massive land leases from Earth.

The Second Expanse Phase:

The brainchild of a British scientist during the early age of colonisation, the Second Expanse Plan (also called the First Seeding Plan) is able to bear fruit. A large spacecraft called a Stanford Torus was designed and is currently under construction. The craft is expected to be complete by 2450, and will be able to permanently house up to 80,000 people as they travel towards the Trappist System. This mission is colloquially called the "Trappist Seeding".