Project Degravitate

Ian Chesterton sabotaged the explosive capsule intended to effect Project Degravitate. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

Project Degravitate was the primary objective of the Daleks' 2150 invasion of Earth.

History

The Plan

In a transmission recovered and recorded in The Dalek Conquests, the Daleks planned Project Degravitate. After subjecting the planet to meteor bombardment and biological weapons, the main invasion force was to land and commence preparations Project Degravitate. The Daleks had located a fissure in the Earth's crust with optimum potential for the plan in the Earth sector identified as Bedfordshire. Human slave labour would be utilised to excavate a tunnel at the site. When complete, an explosive capsule was to be sent down the shaft to strike the fissure in the Earth's crust. The fissure would expand, the molten core would be released. The Daleks would then control the flow until the gravitational and magnetic forces in the Earth's core were eliminated. Once the core of the planet was removed it would be replaced with a power system that would enable the Daleks to pilot the planet anywhere in the universe. (AUDIO: The Dalek Conquests)

Ultimately, however, while the Daleks succeeded in conquering and occupying Earth for ten years. Project Degravitate was thwarted by human resistance aided by the First Doctor and his companions Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright and Susan Foreman. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

Legacy

During the Last Great Time War, the Daleks intended to replace the cores of all the planets in the Null Zone with hyperdrives which they would then launch at Gallifrey. When he learnt of the plan, the War Doctor compared it to Project Degravitate. (AUDIO: The Heart of the Battle)

During the Planetary Relocation Incident in the 21st century, occurring after the 2150s invasion from the Doctor and the Daleks' perspectives, the Tenth Doctor recalled Project Degravitate as a prior attempt to move the Earth. (TV: The Stolen Earth) As he would learn, the Earth had been taken as one of 27 stolen planets by the New Dalek Empire through use of a magnetron (TV: Journey's End) of a more advanced type than which the Time Lords had previously used to move Earth in the Ravolox Affair. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)