Novaya Zemlya (Planet)

The earliest mention of the Trapist 551 system is found in antiquity, when it was called Sigma Ceti. The first exploration of the system, however, was undertaken in the late 2180's, by the Roscosmos. With the UN and the ISA in shambles during the Dark Age, the Russian space programme continued on its own for many decades. By the end of the century, various space exploration missions had been conducted to Trapist 551, each more successful and definitive. A manned mission was launched in 2250, consisting of only four crew members, two male and two female; N. Fyodorovna Barshai, M. Aleksejevich Vuraz, J. P. Todorova, V. Vladimirovich Kulakov. The Russians took their progress slowly, and only acted when certainty presented itself. They laid infrastructure, beacons, posts, stations, and space-lanes, well before ever launching a dangerous space journey. It was not before 2295, that the Roscosmos finally launched their first known settler vessel, the ship's manifest of which indicates there were 552 persons on board, crew included. As their success was reported, another ship was sent, in 2299, and then on, regular round trips were conducted, taking up to 30,000 people into space by the mid 24th century. Soon after the first waves of colonists had reached the system, the Russian name for the system became Novorossiya, meaning New Russia.

The first settlement on the planet's main continent was called Novorossiysk, and it received a spaceport in orbit in 2308. The Russian Federation put in place a Novorossiysk Oblast in 2297 to head the colonization effort and administer the land. Some settlers received government grants in land parcels, and others had to give symbolic payment. Three hundred strategically planned locations were designated as future settlement centers, and roads constructed by the government. Prefabricated shelters and production plants were shipped at increasing rates, leading to a quick build up of settlements. Earth plantlife, farm animals and wildlife were introduced as of the first colonial journey, however, most of the animals died during the journey, forcing the Roscosmos to design a new type of Animal Generation ship, the idea of which was soon copied by the UNSA and other agencies. The journey to Novorossiya took about 3 years at the time.

In 2330, the planet's administration was raised to that of Federal Republic, even though some privileges were withheld to it, namely, the right of self-colonization and appointment of certain officials. The planet's Duma passed a law, later confirmed by the Russian state, renaming the planet Novaya Zemlya, a term mutually intelligible with other Slavic languages (hence Serbian Nova Zemlja, Ukranian Nova Zemya, Belorussian Novaja Ziamlia).