So, what Alien: Earth is saying is Weyland-Yutani is aware of xenomorphs (among other creatures) well before the events of the films and was *this close* to getting one back to Earth.

The Alien franchise is finally making the leap to TV with Alien: Earth, an FX and Hulu series that takes the terrifying Xenomorphs down to Earth for the first time. It’s a big change from the usual isolated spaceships and deep-space horror we’re used to,

This project has been in the oven for several years, and the final result feels anything but rushed or weightless because Hawley and his collaborators had a grip on the TV format and the story they wanted to tell.