The Discovery of the ArcLight Probe

The ArcLight probe's sample return reveals the existence of Astrophage.

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The Launch of ArcLight

The First Mission to Venus The Urgent Probe After the discovery of the Petrova line, the world unites to build the ArcLight probe. It is the most expensive unmanned spacecraft ever built, launched in under a year. Its mission is to collect samples from the Petrova line at Venus. The Arrival ArcLight successfully enters orbit around Venus and collects samples. The world watches the live feed. The images show microscopic black dots that appear to be moving. The Revelation The dots are later identified as a potential alien life form, later named Astrophage. The discovery changes everything. The probe's return is a key event.

The Sample Return

The First Contact The Journey Home ArcLight returns to Earth with its samples. The capsule is recovered by a Soyuz mission. The samples are brought to a secret lab in San Francisco, where Grace is waiting. The Examination Grace is the first to examine the samples. He confirms they are alive and names them Astrophage. The analysis begins. The world's scientific community is mobilized. The Spreading of the Samples Stratt sends samples to labs around the world. The global effort to understand Astrophage begins. The ArcLight mission is the catalyst for the entire story.

Before the story

Shortly after the discovery