SOLVED. Sci-fi book about a mission to find out what happened to a missing star [s]

[Daniel]

So, this book starts of with a bit of an explanation of what happened on Earth in our time. America and Europe went separate paths, America studied technology and invented faster than light travel while Europe studied medicine and invented immortality in the sense that you can be transferred to a new body when you die.

The book is set far in the future where humans have already colonized large parts of the galaxy. It's a bit bleak in that you have to have money (or credit) in order to buy a new body if you die, or you'll die permanently. There is also something about how they met aliens once, and it didn't turn out to well so they stopped looking and now stay in their own corner and don't involve themselves with other species.

There are four primary characters that I can remember. One is one of the first Astronauts to go outside the solar system or something, he's one of the oldest still living and has gone trough a bunch of bodies.

One is an Astronomer who discovers the mystery of the star that goes missing, his theory is that someone built a Dyson sphere around it and he wants to investigate.

One seem to be some kind of terrorist/freedom fighter who is not happy with the political system.

One is a sort of sexy bounty hunter lady that seems pretty merciless.

I'm assuming they all meet up at some point, I've only read the start of the book.

I know the Astronomer and the old Astronaut meet up to start preparing for an expedition to the missing star to find out what happened to it.

I think this book is fairly new, most likely newer than 2010, possibly 2016, I found it 2018. And from what I remember it was supposed to be the first book in a series.

There is an audio book version for sure. And I'm pretty sure I found out about it on this site.

Thanks for any help in locating this, I'd really like to finish it.

[Sue]

I don’t know if it is what you are looking for but some of what you remember reminds me of Peter F Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga, Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained.

[Daniel]

That's it. Awesome, thanks so much!