Since the war would soon be over and the number of Comet hulls constructed was likely to be cut from 50 units to 25, couldn't Monarch offer to build 25 exploratory versions of Comet for the UESPA? Seeing how the plan would benefit both Monarch Industries and UESPA, Monarch agreed. In July 2159, Admiral Laurencia Chong, Commander of the UESPA, approached Monarch Industries, the prime contractors for Comet, with a proposal. The UESPA believed that a demilitarized version of Comet would easily meet its needs. With a length of 124 m, these ships were smaller and much less expensive to build and operate than were first-generation M/AM-powered ships.

Although derided as 'lollipops' or 'dumbbells' by some older captains because of their nearly spherical command hulls extended on thin necks, Comets represented a second, much-improved generation of M/AM-powered ships. The UESPA watched with envy as the UESN began to take delivery of the new Comet-class cruisers in October 2158. Rather than a small number of large, expensive ships (which the military favored), the UESPA wanted a larger number of smaller ships that were more flexible, less expensive to operate, and capable of long missions of scientific exploration. Furthermore, the conversion from warship to explorer would likely be lengthy, expensive, and ultimately unsatisfactory. Most of these warships were immense, with crews of 1,000 or more, and required long hours of maintenance to remain in operation. Although more advanced than any of the UESPA's present vessels, the UESN's first generation of matter/antimatter (M/AM) ships were unlikely to suit the needs of the UESPA. To rebuild itself into a viable exploratory force rather than remaining a poor relation of the military, the UESPA needed ships that could undertake long, independent exploratory voyages. With the coming peace the UESPA held out the hope that it could again become an independent organization on an equal footing with the UESN. However, even before the war, the UESPA felt that it had become no more than a appendage of the largely military UESN. Furthermore, as could be expected during wartime, most operating funds and crews were allocated to the military arm of the UESN. The only ships the UESPA had at its disposal were a few old fusion-powered Republic-class cruisers, which had been obsolete even before the start of the war in 2156.

As optimism grew in late 2158 that the United Earth (UE) would ultimately prevail in its war with the Romulan Star Empire, the UE Space Probe Agency (UESPA), which had become part of the UE Stellar Navy (UESN) in 2151, hoped it could soon resume its scientific and exploratory duties, which had been severely curtailed since the start of the war.

Uss daedalus star trek