Background Details
The Kerbal race was in a time of economic and political turmoil, and the times, known now, 68 years later, as the Era of Darkness, created a sense of unity and harmony amongst the Kerbal population. As the economy slowly began to recover, Kerbalkind as a whole came together and formed the Kerbal Federation, a world government leading the planet as one. Now, as Kerbin begins to advance in science, the only way Kerbin can continue advancing is to go up- to the stars, to the Mun, and Minmus, and Duna and Eve. There's nowhere to go but up!
Current Situation
The Kerbal Federal Government has funded the creation of the Kerbal Aeronautics and Space Administration (KASA) to begin the exploration of the stars. Using a pre-existing ICBM design from Pre-Unification, KASA begins the Moho program, which intends to begin Kerbalkind's voyage into the stars.