Within the FAITH government of North America, the Ministry of Truth created a project to bring the word of God into space. The project, Habitable Earths Abiogenic Vessel Exploration Network, or HEAVEN, had the goal of creating a Von Neumann probe. The project was opened to competition between two companies. The approach of Total Cyber Systems was to create an Artificial Machine Intelligence (AMI) to control the probe, while Applied Synergetics, Inc., attempted to use a replicant to control the probe. Applied Synergetics won the contract to develop the control system for the HEAVEN vessel, although later books it is revealed that they acquired their plans via devious means.
The project is watched very carefully by various FAITH politicians, including Senior Minister Travis of the Ministry of Truth. The chief scientist on the project is Dr. Landers. The only other project staff mentioned is Dr. Doucette, assistant to Dr. Landers.
There are originally 5 candidates who participate in Project HEAVEN. Johana Almeida, Jiro Tanaka, and Neves Reijnder were eliminated at various stages of the project, leaving only Kenneth Martins and Robert "Bob" Johanssen. Bob Version 2.0 was ultimately given command of the HEAVEN-1A.
"The Ministry of Truth, which is backing this venture, is surprisingly pragmatic. They are concerned with results, and have guaranteed us that they will not interfere as long as they get what they are paying for." (21)
The mission architecture was initially intended to include eight identical vessels launched to different star systems. However, due to budget cuts and reallocation of resources brought about by numerous groups and powers within FAITH who wished to see the project fail, the number of vessels was narrowed down to four, then two, until its final iteration included a single vessel. Dr. Landers adds that to the parties who wished to scuttle the project, the main benefit of one probe was to ensure a single point of failure.
As the launch date approaches, more and more cracks become apparent – deadlines get moved up, people die to sabotage attempts, and trainings get skipped. Bob later learns that due to the highly expensive nature of replicant matrices, the only backup matrix the project had on hand was the blank one in the space probe itself, which has to be shipped down from orbit after his first matrix is destroyed by a smuggled explosive device.
Even the Heaven 1-A, the interstellar spacecraft on which the entire HEAVEN project hinges, is a heavily modified interplanetary freighter; originally a crewed vessel with a fusion drive for traveling within the solar system. The vessel has been cut in half to make space for a gigantic drive ring, and the now useless doors and windows have been shielded and sealed off.
"It was becoming increasingly obvious that the whole HEAVEN project was a rush job, using existing assets wherever possible, to save time." (64)