Ross 780

http://www.solstation.com/stars/gl876.htm

The Celestar colonies in Ross 780 were the first founded with the express intention of being outside of Earth control, launched by the privately funded conglomerate for which they were named. Starting with a large station and later expanding onto the planets and moons of the system, they have become a thriving economy, second only to the Sol system in volume of trade, and quickly outpacing all other societies in terms of quality of life. a few nearby systems and several outersystem stations now look to Nebula Station, the original settlement and seat of government for the system, for regional governance.

The Celestar Corporation
Celestar was founded and funded by a group of visionaries, including some of the greatest economic and industrial giants of the time. Taking the profits from their other enterprises and sustaining their efforts through the sale of patents from their labs, Celestar wasted no time hiring a team of all-star scientist, economists, and political experts to build the technological and social infrastructure they would need to create an entirely new civilization. The corporation and its founders were heavily sanctioned and persecuted by the Earth governments, and while none of its founders ever saw firsthand the fruits of their labor, the seat of the corporation eventually moved to the Ross 780 system. Several of the founders were charged and jailed on charges of treason or breach of research laws, some lived in exile offworld, and a few disappeared into hiding. Not all are accounted for.

Nebula Station
Placed in an independent orbit between the second and third planets of the system, Nebula station started as a moderately sized outpost designed for research and development of technologies that the Sol Central government was unwilling to openly pursue. It was here that much of the early progress in human genetic engineering happened, ultimately allowing the long term adaptation of human life to the many worlds that were encountered and created. Though little research is done at the station anymore, it is still a Mecca for scientific progressives and serves as a nexus for collaboration among the research community throughout the colonized galaxy.

Through the centuries since its origin, almost all of the original structure of Nebula station was consumed, destroyed, or cannibalized. The current station is one of the largest ever built, housing over a million permanent residents and with an emergency capacity nearing 3 million. The remaining parts from the original structure are housed in a museum onboard the station.