February 1957 - Rana 5 is successfully launched and carries the heaviest Ormessian satellite to date, the Ereg 2, which clocks in at a launch mass of just over 200 pounds; the Ereg 2 is the ultimate result of work from the Leiyu project. The Ereg 2 monitored radio broadcasts, and was easily traceable during this time period. It would last three weeks in orbit, completing an orbit every 111 minutes; it burned up on re-entry after its orbit degraded into a suborbital flight path. The success of the satellite was dubbed the final chapter in the Rana & Leiyu programs, and in a large staff meeting, Director Qu-Tu lays out a bold, expansive plan for the future of the AOA; a program that would see a man in space, orbiting the planet. It was a very ambitious goal, and would require more funding then even the Emperor's new levy would give them, so Tu also directed a second, smaller group of engineers and staff to work on Project Columba, to better technology, understanding and applications towards satellites. Tu hoped he could advance them to the point they would have purposes for more then scientific measures, and he could use them to secure further funding. The full measure of the 1956 star levy was also directed to be used to buy out land surrounding Aratis and construct more buildings; after four months, Tu would convince Baron Aratis to sell his land entirely for a modest sum, allowing AOA full control over Aratis.

June 11, 1959 - Columba 4 is successfully launched on top of a modified Type 3 rocket; testing a new prototype thruster. Columba 4 out-sizes Ereg 2 by 25%, and also becomes the first satellite with a camera on it, an Arek TAL-4500. The satellite was designed to eject capsules of film that would be retrieved mid-air by Ormessian Air Force planes and then delivered to the AOA. Columba 4 would stay in orbit for 5 months, ejecting 34 films, of which AOA would recover 11.

January 8, 1960 - Director Tu oversees the successful negotiation of a package deal that see's the AOA purchase approximately 1.5 million acres of land across the Perian and Inderiarian border; the lands were purchased from approximately 82 nobles, 118 citizens and 7 corporations for a total lump sum of 1.75 billion ikoni. Director Tu announces that on this land, the Bireum Starport will be built, which will replace Aratis as the primary research and development, as well as fabrication and launch facility. Construction initially begins on the main laboratory, and workshop facilities.

November 7, 1960 - The success of the Belkans at having a man orbit the planet puts pressure upon the AOA to succeed, however Director Tu placates the Conclave by reminding them that the Starport's construction will take at least a decade or more to bring it fully online; regardless, progress is made towards a new rocket engine that Tu seeks to use on an more powerful form of rocket, the ubiquitous Type 5. Fabrication on a prototype begins in the recently finished Workshop A-1, which already is much larger then the buildings at Aratis. Due to construction, work is split between the two facilities and Tu is able to enlist the Government to aid in the construction of a heavy rail line between Bireum and Aratis so they can transfer supplies, material and people quickly.

January 4, 1961 - The prototype new engine for the Type 5 rocket is heavily damaged during a impulse power test in a workshop at Bireum. The damage is too much to reverse, and a new engine entirely is required, which will set back the manned orbit program, now called Fabula, at least into 1962. However, Columba continues to progress well and AOA partners with camera manufacturers across the Empire to try to produce specifically designed camera lenses that perform better in space.

 March 11, 1962 - The assembly of the initial Fabula launch vehicle, the Type 5 rocket with the new T.S-69 engines and the Nara command capsule and stage, is nearing completion at Bireum. Sounding rocket tests, as well as testing on the T.S-60 engine, which has been modified to perform better and more safely, have turned out good results and AOA looks forward to a launch date in early 1963.

April 14, 1963 - The accident on the Belkan Adler 2 puts a spotlight of concern on the pending launch of Fabula I; AOA scrubs the initial launch and decides to spend the next two weeks doing an in-depth safety analysis of the entire craft.

April 27, 1963 - Fabula I successfully launches from Launch Pad #1 at Bireum, with Decus Salerius Ponuso piloting/captaining the launch, and Gina Ciusutia as navigator/co-pilot. The mission nearly goes awry when the stage separation charge fails to operate as intended, and Gina Ciusutia has to perform an in-situ space walk to separate the stage. The walk is the first outside of trials on the ground, and gives AOA a chance to see how their gear and equipment held up to it. Fabula I makes orbit after a flight time of 1 and a half hours and remains in orbit for a further eight hours before activating retrograde thrusters and descending into the Anaon Sea where they are retrieved by a Navy vessel. Decus and Gina become the first Ormessians in space, and Gina becomes the first Ormessian to "walk" in space.

November 11, 1963 - Fabula III completes a third successful mission to low-mid Rostil orbit for the AOA, with six different astronauts serving as crew for the launches, ensuring that the agency as a good pool of somewhat experienced personnel. Director Tu knows that the Belkans will be looking towards Selene for their next target and begins a new program with a similar aim, though Fabula is kept in operation in order to conduct experiments on prototype technology and equipment, as well as getting more experience in orbit and with spatial flight.

July 9, 1964 - The planned Fabula VI mission fails when the rocket explodes on the launch pad; two crew are killed in the explosion and the craft is destroyed, with significant damage dealt to Launch Pad #1. AOA grounds all flights as it conducts an investigation, which later reveals a leak on a fuel tank that was ignited when the main thrusters were activated during the launch sequence.  The repairs to the pad will take months, but thankfully construction had recently finished on the second launch pad at the Starport, which will allow the AOA to continue the program, albeit at a slower pace then they had intended.


April 7, 1965 - Fabula VII successfully conducts an orbital flight with the new LI-900 engine, which has a significantly upgraded thrust power compared to the prior engines used. The increased power put heavy stress on the structural integrity, so engineers take this into consideration and modify the still-being-built "moon rocket"

August 5, 1967 - The Type 6 rocket is set for its first official launch; it will be an unmanned delivery of a series of fuel tanks to a high orbit around the planet, intended to serve as a resupply for any AOA craft on a moon mission. The program has been termed the Vulcan Program, and thus this mission is recognized as Vulcan I. The launch performs as expected and up to all expectations, and successfully delivers its payload to the desired orbit, although it wasn't entirely precise having run into some fuel issues but it is believed this will be a non-issue once controlled by humans.

December 9, 1967 - Vulcan II is the second mission, also experimental, using the old command module from Fabula ontop the new Type 7 rocket, which features improved fuel distribution and aerodynamics from the Type 6. Gina Ciusutia, Viuso Flusalvius Ratina and Decus Salerius Ponuso experiment with the retrofitted-three crewmen capsule. They successfully achieve a medium planetary orbit around Rostil, and remain in orbit for 28 hours, where they also conduct space walks examining the exterior of the craft and performing a docking mission with Fabula VIV, which AOA devised to test their new SCM (Standard Coupling Module) device. They return to Rostil once they complete the successful dock, splashing down a few kilometers separated from their Fabula comrades; at this point, Director Tu closes the Fabula Program, believing that the Vulcan program is ready for its shot at it's intended target, Selene.

April 3, 1968 - After years of experiments, tests and safety checks, the Vulcan III mission is a go, with the final destination of Selene. Gina Ciusutia, Decus Salerius Ponuso, Aleriu Lovirius Siusiso are the crew of the Vulcan III, with Gina commanding for her sixth overall mission. After a successful launch, not needing to RV with the fuel cache above Rostil, Vulcan III makes its way towards Selene. Two and a half days later, they arrive in a skewed orbit around the moon and descended using the CEL (Crew Expedition Lander); Gina as commander becomes the first Ormessian to step foot on another planet, and is joined by her crew moments after. They spend three days gathering supplies, notes and research material before re-ascending to Vulcan III and returning home. When they arrive home three days later and are retrieved from the Athenian Ocean after a good splashdown, their success is heralded as a watershed moment for the AOA. Coming only a few days after the Belkans, Director Tu and the AOA are eager to continue pursuing further advances in the field, and new frontiers.

May 2, 1970 - The materials brought home from the Vulcan III, V and VI missions have propelled an interest into furthering studying the moon of Rostil, perhaps on a more permanent basis. The Eremeus program is initiated, to facilitate the development of materials, craft and knowledge towards the facilitation of habitation in space, or on a foreign body.

December 11, 1971 - Vulcan VI launches Columba 11, the first space telescope of the AOA and the heaviest satellite to date for it. C-11 has two main instruments facing in either direction which will be used to observe Lucielis, Heuris and Ceres; this also marks the first time Vulcan operates with the Type 9 rocket, which features solid rocket boosters and a new sexta-pack of LI-1200 thrusters.

September 8, 1972 - Construction is finished on "Phase I" of construction at Bireum; the facility now boasts workshops that take up almost a thousand hectares in their own right; in addition to that, three large fabrication "workshops" have been completed, to an astonishing scale as each is able of fitting the massive Vulcan rockets inside of it. Phase II construction begins, aimed at adding a fourth and fifth launchpad, as well as greatly expanding the runway and adding a secondary one.

February 9, 1975 - Vulcan 9 delivers the first payload in what will be a series of missions aimed at completing a very basic "station" in a simple synchronized orbit above Selene. It is expected to take four launches to complete the station, of which three will be manned for the assembly/joining of various payloads.

July 12, 1977 - Vulcan 13 delivers the final component of the Selene station, called Statio Luna by the AOA; at the completion of the station, it consists of a command cupola, a habitation module, and a series of trusses that connect to the habitation module and a docking port. The solar panels on the trusses have a number of power delivery issues and the idea of permanent crewing is abandoned soon after the station's completion, however the AOA plans to use the station for longer excursions on Selene.

October 11, 1977 - Director Tu retires after leading the AOA and its original form for more then two decades, having overseen the successful ten-launch Fabula Program and the still running Vulcan program. The Emperor appoints his replacement as Naulener Cúthon, who was a former astronaut himself serving as a navigator on Fabula 8 & 9, as well as crew during Vulcan IV. He continues the Eremeus program, but also is eager to test the agency's station construction methods at a much nearer goal, above Rostil.

February 9, 1978 - Vulcan 15 delivers the final piece in a three-part expansion to Statio Luna, which sees a minor science labratory and fuel supply added on, as well as supplies to repair its solar panels and batteries; despite the repairs, AOA still does not permanently crew the station. A goal is set for Vulcan 16 to be the beginning of a ground base on the moon's surface.

March 11, 1979 - Vulcan 16 delivers the components that had been developed for the last nine years to the Selene station, and its crew then uses its modified CEL to carry them down to the surface and begin work.

April 17, 1980 - Vulcan 17 delivers the command module of what is being called Domum Station; an envisioned mission control in stable orbit above Rostil. It is predicted it will take at least four more missions to assemble the first stage of the station, which will test the Agency's resources as it tries to conduct it's moon operations and Rostil station efforts at the same time; Director Cuthon has a fifth Vulcan, Type 10 rocket constructed to help relieve any mission wear or stress on the rockets.

August 9, 1980 - Vulcan 18 delivers three more astronauts to Statio Luna, who join the crew of Vulcan 16 in the assembly of the ground base.  The two rockets will stay docked at Luna station until the initial ground base is completed, at which point Vulcan 16 and crew will return home.

January 17, 1981 -