🚀 The Hope Launchpad Arena has experienced many transformations. Dive right in and discover its backstory.

Rocket World set out to change luxury travel. But the economic crash following the Trade Wars sent those plans into a death spiral. Vacationing in the stars was no longer a priority when the future of humanity was at stake. Bookings dwindled. Standards slipped. The resort fell into a state of disrepair. It lay like that for decades. When the war ended, the appetite for adventure seemed to have disappeared. Instead of a grand revival, Rocket World continued to fade away into the history books. It seemed doomed, until Stefania Shevchenko came along.

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Stefania had always rooted for the underdog. As a child, she’d chosen the teddies that looked the most misshapen, unable to bear the thought that they might not be picked. She gave all unwanted things a home - butterflies with torn wings, broken toys, and dogs with missing teeth and sticky-out tongues. As an adult, she retained an uncanny knack of seeing potential where no-one else could. When she heard of a once-grand resort rotting away on the Sol Belt asteroid colony, her ears pricked up. Advisors told her it was worthless. She bought it the next day. 

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Stefania’s advisors cautioned her against the purchase of Rocket World, and for a while their warnings rang true. The mineral deposits were entirely depleted, not enough to even kickstart the renovation efforts. It was one big money pit. Then inspiration hit Stefania. She had originally hoped to restore the resort but realized that was not the only option. It could be reinvented. Reimagined. Off-world Arenas were always popular - this was her chance to give back to the sport she loved and kickstart an era of hope for the resort. 

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For three days Stefania locked herself away, sketching plans and scribbling down ideas. While on a site visit, she found a large, vintage rocket in storage. After dusting it off, she made it a focal point of her new Arena. The name came shortly after. Hope Launchpad. It would honor the people of the past, who dared to look up and dream of the stars, while also representing the future. Rocket World was no longer a victim of the Trade Wars. Where others saw a waste, Stefania had seen potential. It’s now a symbol of perseverance, reinvention and renewal.

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