The Babylon Project was a development of the Earth Alliance that began in 2248, shortly after the resolution of the Earth-Minbari War. The project's goal was to prevent future wars by providing Humans and aliens neutral territory to settle their differences peacefully. The first four Babylon stations ended in disaster during construction or shortly after coming online. The fifth attempt, Babylon 5, came online in 2256. The cost of bringing Babylon 5 into service was enormous, but the station met and far exceeded its initial goal over the next twenty-four years.