Cold War moonshot: The U.S. military's abandoned lunar base
In the 1950s and 60s, during the Cold War and the intense space race, the American military developed an ambitious plan to build a military base on the Moon. The project, named "Horizon," envisioned creating a nuclear intelligence station operated by armed soldiers to conduct defence operations and gather intelligence from the Moon's surface.
3 November 2024 10:26
According to a 1959 report prepared by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, the station was to be ready by 1965. Its crew, initially consisting of two soldiers and eventually increasing to twelve, was to be equipped with specially designed weapons for operations in space. The armament included pistols and claymore-like explosive devices, even though the base was intended mainly as an intelligence and communication facility.
A base with weapons on the Moon - The ambitious US plan
As reported by Task&Purpose, the Horizon project required the gradual delivery of construction materials and supplies. In 1965, the military planned to begin a series of Saturn I and II rocket launches to transport both personnel and necessary resources to the Moon. Construction was expected to be completed by November 1966, with the facility anticipated to expand in later years. The station's primary energy source would have been nuclear reactors, and the base consisted of interconnected modules allowing for further expansion.
Although today this idea seems futuristic, the American military during the Cold War did not hesitate to explore the boldest concepts. It's worth mentioning the "Acoustic Kitty" program, which emerged in the 1960s aiming to train domestic cats to spy on the Soviet Union.
Despite having advanced plans and the military's enthusiasm, Project Horizon was ultimately rejected for financial reasons. The cost of the undertaking, amounting to $6 billion, was considered too high. As a result, President Dwight D. Eisenhower did not agree to continue the project, and his successor John F. Kennedy. However, he supported the development of the space program and did not revive this initiative. Ultimately, NASA took over the responsibility for space exploration, and Project Horizon became merely a curiosity and an inspiration for conceptual visions of the future.
