I've put together a history of exploration in Elite Dangerous, dating back to the early beta of March 2014, and up to July 2015. I believe this era to be an age of pioneers, where exploration was in its infancy and players were on the whole oblivious to what was out there, what the optimal set ups where, and how to deal with any hazards early explorers would soon be experiencing. Exploration was new to us all but the galaxy was there waiting for us.
I was lucky enough to be there from the very beginnings so have witnessed it all, and I would say that 95% of my time in Elite Dangerous since the summer of 2014 has been spent exclusively playing as an explorer. So although this post may briefly touch on other aspects of the game, its main focus is all about the early history of exploration in Elite Dangerous.
Most of it is from memory and from the few old posts I've managed to dig out and get info from, so its by no means a fully accurate record. The info I've put together will have quite a bit of my own adventures mentioned as obviously those are the ones I remember the most, there will be details of other players adventures that I've probably got wrong to some extent or major events and players I've not even listed or mentioned at all (purely because I've forgotten - sorry!). So please feel free to add or correct me on anything important I've missed and I'll edit any info as and when I get it. :)
Exploration in Elite Dangerous: The Age of Pioneers (March 3300 - July 3301)
The Beta's : March - July 3300
The Sidewinder Era
The earliest days of the 34th century saw the introduction of new frame shift drive technologies. During this time all new recruits graduating from the pilots federation were issued with a standard Sidewinder space craft. As the newly released FSD technology was largely untested, all navigational databanks throughout occupied space were restricted to just a handful of hyperspace-able systems as the developers ironed out bugs and worked on optimizing these new engines... engines that were hoped to soon open the door for humanity to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy.
The birth of community driven news began springing up around this time. The Centauran Herald leading the way. Indeed it was the Herald that was one of the earliest news outlets to break the news of the first organized emergence of an explorers 'guild' (The First Great Expedition) - with the announcement of a their base camp being established on Mars.
Yet exploration during this short era was pretty much non-existent due to the limited number of reachable destinations.. Indeed, some intrepid pilots attempted to actually traverse the vast distances between stars that had not been logged in their FSD NavCom, using supercruise flight only! This proved to be a fruitless endeavor due to technical difficulties sustained during the attempts, forcing pilots to hyperspace back to their point of origin, or be forever lost in the void. Pilot attempts to supercruise between star systems!
Elsewhere during this period, the Eranin blockade and the blockade runners it gave birth to began to entice many frustrated pilots away from their preferred professions and join sides in the growing unrest. Piracy and bounty hunting increased exponentially and the very limited amount of exploration left became pretty much non-existent as the handful of available systems became saturated with more and more new recruits fresh out of the academy.
In June of 3300 AD CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzell attempted to land on the inhospitable moon, Dustball, in orbit around Maher Prime, in a hope to locate the lost science vessel 'Leavitt-Payne' which was rumored to have crash-landed there a few days previous. The attempt failed due to corrosive atmospheric dust damaging the hull of Kamzel's ship - forcing him to abandon the effort. Calls on the Federation and Empire to release suppressed atmospheric shielding technology that would once again allow pilots to land on planetary surfaces sadly fell on deaf ears.
Instead, pressure on the powers that be to release more NavCom data, allowing pilots to spread further afield, grew. Finally in late July of 3300 the interstellar market for the next version of FSD tech and distant NavCom data was opened up.. codenamed Beta 1.
The New Frontier
55 star systems covering 38,000 cubic light years centered around the Boötes constellation. Often known as the 'beta bubble'. This was now all in reach due to the release of the next phase of FSD tech and NavCom data.
With this new boundary, exploration finally began to become recognized as a valid profession. Pilots spread out from tension-ridden Eranin and its neighboring systems and began reporting on new trade links between systems further and further afield.
Despite the larger area open to pilots, exploration in the first few days was often dangerous due to all players being squeezed into still such a low volume of space.
Hostile encounters with players and NPCs was often inevitable. Nevertheless, the first tentative roles began to emerge and players soon spread out and mapped the inner borders of the bubble - yet yearned for the time when the release of yet more NavCom data would burst the bubble and throw open the entire galaxy.
Within a month of this age, many explorers had grown weary of exploring the bubble for no monetary reward and turned to other means in order to make a living - including piracy.
Again it was The Centauran Herald that first broke the news of the mounting unrest.. mostly growing out of the strict fines meted out for loitering, canister dumping, high taxation laws that the Federation began imposing, and finally the collapse of the interstellar bank that wiped out all pilots federation credit balances.
Finally, in late July of 3300 AD many frustrated pilots massed outside Aulin Enterprise for what was codenamed the 'Aulin Apocalypse' - a beta blowout that saw hundreds of pilots attacking the Orbis Starport en-mass. Footage of the battle is still archived to this day within the Heralds databanks
Ultimately the Federation withheld the onslaught but many survivors of that fateful weekend still claim that the pressure brought upon the powers that be 'persuaded' them to release the Gamma Phase of FSD tech and the long awaited NavCom databanks containing all deep space hyperspace routes out of colonized space - removing the restrictive borders of the local region and 'beta bubble', and throwing open the entire galaxy for all of humanity to explore.
At the same time many pilots who had invested in the research and development into these new techs were rewarded and allocated various prototype space craft... one of which was the newly produced Long Range Cobra Mk III.. a starship primarily dedicated to long range exploration.
The Pioneer Age was born.
The Pioneers
The Cobra Mk III Era
Throughout the late summer of 3300 a vast exodus of pilots began. The first tentative journeys to nearby astronomical points of interest were made. The Coalsack, The Pleiades, Barnard's Loop... all places relatively close to humanities frontier, yet saw the earliest travelers take their first steps out into the galaxy..
Exploration was in its infancy. No one knew what hostiles were out there. No one knew how far a ship could travel without needing maintenance. No one knew anything about the dangers of hyperspacing into a contact binary system, or how to deal with it. It was the ancient wild west revisited... a new frontier was opening up.
A first journey to Sagittarius A* and the New Horizon's Expedition
The first reports of deep space exploration began to filter back into colonized space around late November of 3300. CMDR Zulu Romeo, commanding an explorer-class Cobra Mk. III "Useless Reptile" had made the very first attempt to cross the arduous 27,000 LYs and journey to the Galactic Core. Reaching the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* in early December. Whilst simultaneously, CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel, piloting the Shackleton Explorer, had embarked on the New Horizons Expedition - a journey along the Orion Spur, crossing the Vela Molecular Ridge, and out to the Eta Carina Nebula.
Considering the unknowns at the time and coupled with the hostility of ever present NPCs and a non-existent route planners, such expeditions were regarded as remarkable feats. Explorers back then had no route planner, routes were plotted one star at a time! There were no star filters, and no known strategies for dealing with ship maintenance or environmental hazards (i.e. contact binaries).
In December 3300 AD the Gamma Phase came to an end and a massive influx of new Pilots Federation recruits entered the world. At Noon on December 16th 3300, David Braben officially launched Elite Dangerous. With it, the age of the Asp Explorer and ultra deep space exploration began.
The Asp Explorer Era
On the afternoon of Dec. 16th 3300, an Asp Explorer (The Deep Space Explorer 'Beagle') left its berth in an outlying frontier system and began its journey to the Distant Suns of the far side of the galaxy.
Christmas 3300 was a time of turmoil for many explorers. Bugs were scuppering many attempts to reach the galactic core regions as it became increasingly known that something bad had gone wrong with the travel mechanics since Zulu's successful Gamma Phase trip to the galactic core. Explorers reaching the outer core regions beyond the Norma Expanse were often disconnected during hyperspace and were unable to get back online afterwards - leaving many pilots unable to continue their journeys for days, and sometimes weeks. A word of warning was issued to explorers leaving home for the depths of space.
By mid January 3301 thankfully most of these issues had been resolved. A new, but limited and often buggy, 100 LY route planner was introduced, and the early pioneers could once again continue with their endeavors.
On Jan. 7th a pilot called R4nger0 left colonized space in his Sidewinder (called Sneaky Pete), with the intention to cross the entire galaxy in it.
Around the the same time other expeditions set forth to push deeper into the galaxy and CMDR Rekal and CMDR Big Bad Lynx, both piloting Asp Explorers, began their own individual journeys to the far side.
The Pioneer Timeline
October 3300
CMDR Patau82 creates the Universal Cartographics Galactic Records database. A place for explorers to submit scientific data that they've discovered throughout the galaxy.
November 3300
CMDR Zulu Romeo successfully traverses the 27,000 LY distance to Sagittarius A* (and returns safely in early December 3300).
CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel completes the New Horizons expedition and retires his Long Range Cobra (Shackleton Explorer), at Aulin Enterprise.
December 3300
CMDR Nutter complies the first comprehensive explorers guide to the galaxy.
CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel embarks on the Distant Suns expedition to the far side of the galaxy.
January 3301
CMDR R4nger0 begins his epic quest to cross the galaxy in a Sidewinder.
CMDR Big Bad Lynx sets off to cross the galaxy in an Asp Explorer.
CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel reaches the far side of the galaxy after successfully crossing the outer rim Abyss in an Asp Explorer. The first published and recorded crossing of the galaxy was posted two days after the explorer reached 'Beagle Point' (CEECKIA ZQ-L C24-0), a star system over 65,000 LYs from home.
A GalNet report of the endeavor causes some controversy at the time as it is stated that the DSS Beagle had returned from the far galactic rim, when in reality it had been badly damaged after hyperspacing into a red giant binary pair, exited in the corona of one of the stars, and thus remained crippled out on the galactic rim for several more weeks before the journey home began.
GalNet Propaganda - The Distant Suns Epilogue
GalNet YouTube News Bulletin - 65,000 LY Journey Across the Galaxy
Frontier's GalNet 'misinfo' News Release : Previously Unknown Explorer Returns from Outer Rim
Frontier's re-released News Article : Outrage Amongst Explorers’ Association
February 3301
CMDR Ozric completes his journey to the Crab Nebula.
CMDR Maia Posidana and CMDR Katier announce (independently) their intentions to circumnavigate the galaxy.
CMDR Big Bad Lynx returns from his epic 170,000 LY round trip of the galaxy.
CMDR Rekal returns home from his trip to the far side of the galactic core.
The Galactic Mapping Project for explorers is born.
The 1,000 LY Route Planner and Star Filter is introduced. Payouts from Universal Cartographics is significantly improved - finally bringing exploration income into line with other professions.
The star filter paves the way for easier location and surveying of scientific points of interest - namely neutron stars and blackholes.
March 3301
The Anaconda Era
Possibly due to the larger and richer rewards from exploration, a new wave of deep space exploration begins with many richer explorers now turning to the large Anaconda class star ship as their ship of choice. These larger vessels, capable of over 40 LYs jump range, make long distance travel much quicker and allow pilots to reach certain systems the earlier exploration vessels couldn't jump to.
CMDR Dastardly Devine concludes his epic journey.
43,000 LYs from Sol, CMDR R4nger0 in his Sidewinder reaches the near edge of the Scutum-Centaurus Arm, there a rendezvous with CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel (who is returning home from the far side) occurs and the two explorers make a joint survey of the rendezvous system before parting ways. The meeting is recorded and beamed back to colonized space where GalNet picks it up and reports the event via various newsfeeds.
The Wings feature is introduced and many explorers begin teaming up. Solo exploration remains popular though due to the unreliability of the early wings mechanic.
CMDR Dr Kaii begins his epic documented journey to the galactic depths and produces the Deep Space Surveys video series.
CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel limps home from the far galactic rim, concluding the Distant Suns expedition. The heavily damaged DSS Beagle is decommissioned and retired from service.
CMDR SvennoJ departs on his quest to find the galaxies lonliest planet. Later in his journey he becomes the first pilot to cross the western edge of the Abyss using an Anaconda class starship.
The first recorded survey mission to the distant Hyponia sector is released.
April 3301
The Thargoid Flap : Rumors of a mystery out beyond the Formidine Rift causes a stir throughout the exploration community. Many pilots flock to this relatively nearby region, some 10,000 - 15,000 LYs from Sol, beyond the Perseus Arm, but to no avail. So far nothing untoward has been located. CMDR 'Erimus' Kamzel produces a video log of his own investigation into the Rift and the possible connection to the Unknown Artifacts that appeared throughout colonized space in the spring and early summer of 3301.
CMDR Allitnil concludes his epic 14,000 star system journey, and in doing so is recorded as being the first pilot to cross the far galactic Abyss in a Cobra Mk III.
CMDR Katejina embarks on an epic quest to circumnavigate the galaxy as well as explore the core regions.
The Buckyball Run A* event begins. Pilots from across colonized space, including many dedicated explorers, begin the competition to reach Sagittarius A* in as short a time as possible.
CMDR Tylar's five week tour of planetary nebulae concludes.
CMDR Dognosh compiles a comprehensive exploration guide that includes lists, tools, and diaries related to all things exploration.
The First Great Expedition embark on the first mass-surveying endeavor of the mysterious Regor sectors and produce detailed 3D maps of its border regions.
May 3301
CMDR DoubleSkulls becomes one of the first explorers to have his ship destroyed at Sagittarius A* due to hostile fire from an unknown assailant.
CMDR R4nger0 becomes the first explorer to pilot a Sidewinder class starship to the far side of the galaxy - reaching a distance of 58,000 LYs from Sol. However the ship could not cross the outer rim Abyss due to its limited FSD range.
CMDR Allitnil embarks on an expedition to measure the extent of the reachable galaxy.
June 3301
CMDR Krunchie returns from an epic 151 day voyage around the galaxy, visiting over 6,600 systems and traveling approximately 180,000 LYs in the process.
CMDR Turambar concludes his 200,000 LYs galactic journey and becomes one of the first explorers to circumnavigate the galaxy via the outer arms route.
The Fuel rats are formed - a voluntary collection of pilots dedicated to rescuing explorers (and other travelers) who have inadvertently ran out of fuel far from home.
CMDR's Stulli, Barefoot Bandit and Allitnil rendezvous close to Beagle Point of the far side of the galaxy, some 65,000 LYs from Sol, and in doing so set a record for the most distant encounter so far recorded.
July 3301
CMDR Kancro Vantas publishes the most definitive guide to date of the vast galactic core neutron fields. The neutron survey becomes a great source of information to science-based exploration missions to the core regions.
CMDR Allitnil concludes his mission to measure the extent of the reachable galaxy and submits some of his findings to the Universal Cartographics Galactic database.
July-August 3301
The end of the first 18 months or so of exploration in Elite Dangerous - and possibly the end of the pioneer age as semi-retired explorers return home and await the next golden age of exploration... the search for alien civilizations, relics, new environmental anomalies, and possible planetary landings (which in itself will usher in a new pioneer age).
The Age of Pioneers - famous Exploration Starships
The Useless Reptile (Cobra Mk III) : First ship to reach Sagittarius A*
Shackleton Explorer (Cobra Mk III) : First ship to visit VY Canis Majoris and cross the Vela Molecular Ridge to survey the Eta Carina Nebula (New Horizons Expedition).
DSS Beagle (Asp Explorer) : First starship to cross the outer arm Abyss and reach the far side of the galaxy, over 65,000 LYs from Sol.
The Roncevaux (Cobra Mk III) : First Cobra-class starship to cross the eastern edge of the Abyss and into the outer galactic arm regions.
Svenno's Anaconda (Anaconda) : First Anaconda-class starship to cross the western edge of the Abyss and into the outer galactic arm regions.
Magellan (Asp Explorer) : Starship that embarked on one of the earliest recorded attempts to circumnavigate the galaxy.
The Orinoco (Asp Explorer) : The Starship that undertook the epic survey of the 4 neutron fields strewn throughout the galactic core regions.
Sneaky Pete - (Sidewinder) : First Sidewinder to cross to the far side of the galaxy - reaching a distance of 58,000 LYs from Sol.
Sunny Side Up (Cobra Mk III) : The ship that was lost in the Outer Arm Vacuus (see galactic mapping project - map 12), carrying four months worth of exploration data.
Nobody's Business (Anaconda) : The ship that undertook the trip to the Galactic Limits, an endeavor to measure the extent of the reachable galaxy.
(Please let me know the names of any I've missed, and what they're famous for!)