A rapidly growing space sector led to increasing opportunties in space. Rapidly reusable spacecraft with very large lift capabilities made it possible for the first time for regular people to conduct business in space. Communications technology was first, with arrays of tiny satellites deployed to allow for the first time ubiquitous, global, point-to-point communication.
Tourism followed behind communication; but as people began exploring beyond low earth orbit, better propulsion and in-situ resource development became critical. People began developing miniaturized fusion reactors for space which could be sustainably refueled and support the power requirements of long-term maneuvers. Mining deuterium remained very expensive but enabled missions of long duration and high delta-v.
Asteroid harvesting opened up a burgeoning new frontier for space infrastructure development. Building in space became an exponential growth factor. A small colony on the moon and a research station on mars, several large space stations in low earth orbit, a few manned research missions around the solar system to other planets. All of this was supported by a few very lucrative and successfull space mining businesses. By the end of the decade there were over 10,000 people living in space.
The space lift capability of earth was 100 times greater than today's capacity; but over the course of this decade that was eclipsed by the deluge of raw resources from asteroids and the moon's surface. For the first time, there was a surplus of building material in space. The mining businesses began building large solar arrays for collecting and beaming energy to earth's surface. There was a significant amount of pushback from people who felt that this could be used as a weapons system, or could have serious environmental damage. The arrays took a long time to develop and were never fully successful; but the infrastructure became the groundwork for space-based factories, and later became permanent space colonies and shipyards for building and fueling massive spacecraft.
As the population in space reached 100,000, several social and political changes took place. These colonies, previously relying heavily on Earth for resources, began to exhibit a burgeoning sense of independence and self-sufficiency. The Lagrange Point Consortium was established, a representative body aimed at advocating for the rights and needs of space denizens. This led to the establishment of the first autonomous space government, laying down their own laws and regulations, separate from those of Earth.
On Earth, the divide between the rich and the poor grew alarmingly. The skyrocketing wealth inequality and increasing difficulty in participating in the off-world economy led many nations to band together for mutual economic and technological support. Three major coalitions emerged: The Pan-Asian Alliance, The Euro-African Union, and The American Coalition. Each embarked on an ambitious project to construct an interstellar ship aimed at reaching a newly discovered planetary system, rich in resources and sporting conditions favorable for human life.