"Ut Reveles Astra"
BACKGROUND:
Following the conclusion of the Apollo program in late 1972, the landscape of space exploration evolved. In the post-Apollo era, a private space agency named Liberty Innovation Inc. and its partners embarked on a mission to establish a lasting commercial presence on the moon.
In late 1978, Liberty Innovation Inc. (LII) achieved a significant milestone by securing a government contract worth $20 million. The contract, titled "Commercial Lunar Transport Capability," was to begin development and testing to prepare for future launches of their moon rocket. The primary goal was to showcase the capability to develop a rocket capable of successfully launching payloads to orbit the moon and eventually facilitate lunar surface missions.
Between 1969 and 1972, the Soviet N1 Rocket encountered numerous failures, raising concerns about the potential cancellation of the Soviet moon program. The prevailing thought was that an expensive moon program might not be necessary if the USA ceased its lunar exploration. However, the landscape shifted with the emergence of the "Astraios Program," initiated by the LII. Upon learning of the ambitious goals, the Soviet Union redirected resources to bolster their N1 program, striving to match and exceed the challenges posed by LII. This development caused apprehension in the USA, prompting the passage of an act that granted LII an annual funding of $400 million and increased the NASA budget by 9%. NASA and LII entered into collaboration, with NASA providing technology, crew support, and potentially contributing to the development of a next-generation crewed lunar lander. The revised Lunar Program now aimed to land humans on the moon no later than 1989.
