Lunex Project

The Lunex Project was a US Air Force 1958 plan for a crewed lunar landing prior to the Apollo Program.

The final lunar expedition plan in 1961 was for a 21-person underground Air Force base on the Moon by 1968 at a total cost of $7.5 billion.

Lunex Lunar Lander Selection of base sites were to be made by automated probes, with Kepler crater being a studied location.

Lunex planned to make its first lunar landing and return in 1967, in order to beat the Soviets and demonstrate conclusively that America could win future international competition in technology with the USSR.

The Air Force felt that no achievement short of a lunar landing would have the required historical significance.