In a new developer blog post on the Line of Defense site, Derek Smart lays out details about the size of the game’s universe and how many players he expects will be able to take part in game play at any given time. In addition, Smart reveals some of the back story that the game will utilize and indicates that it is a universe that has been in development since the 80s.
As you can see from the LOD world map, there are four space regions, all linked via jump gates. So you can fly from the Lyrius space region to the Lennen space region etc.

Each of these space regions also has planets and moons. In the upcoming first release of LOD, you will only be able to enter the Lyrius planet. We expect to populate and make accessible the other planets and moons via expansion packs depending on how well the game does. We wil also be building additional bases on Lyrius on an as-needed basis.

In a separate news item, DC Entertainment and 3000AD have announced a partnership agreement to release a Line of Defense comic. The first issue will be available at the DC Entertainment booth at this year’s San Diego ComiCon as well as at other conventions throughout the season.