The Battle of Macross Island was the incident that sparked the First Robotech War. On the day of the human-rebuilt SDF-1's launch under the command of Henry Gloval, the Zentraedi arrived to retake their battlefortress. It triggered a boobytrap, the firing of the vessel's Reflex Cannon. The aliens responded by launching fighters from Sector 412, while the Robotech Defense Force sent up Veritechs. Battlepods landed on the island itself. Gloval was ordered to take off, but the Zentraedi blocked their escape. Gloval ordered a Space Fold to take them behind The Moon, but it mis-fired, and they ended up past Pluto.
During the battle, Rick Hunter and Roy Fokker rescued the civilian Lynn Minmei.
According to one source, Jack Archer participated in, but crashed during the fold and remained on Earth.