page_title: Lunex Project
section_title: Associated vehicles (estimates)
hierarchical_section_title: Lunex Project / Design details / Associated vehicles (estimates)
caption_attribution_description: English: Basic diagram of the Lunex Project spacecraft.
context_page_description: 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. The primary distinction between the later Apollo missions and Lunex was the orbital rendezvous maneuver. The Lunex vehicle, composed of a landing module and a lifting body return/re-entry module, would land the entire vehicle and all astronauts on the surface, whereas the final Apollo mission involved a separate ascent module leaving the command module and service module connected in lunar orbit with a single astronaut. The original plan for Apollo was for direct ascent, similar to Lunex.
context_section_description: Lunex Lunar Lander 
  Crew Size: 3
  Length: 16.16 m (53.01 ft)
  Maximum Diameter: 7.62 m (24.99 ft)
  Span: 7.62 m (24.99 ft)
  Mass: 61 000 kg (134 000 lb)
  Agency: USAF
caption: Lunex spacecraft concept
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