When Samantha Tauber started writing during the Covid lockdown, she had no idea her debut, self-published novel would one day be preserved on the Moon. This July, her story is set to travel aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission and will be archived on the lunar surface for up to one million years. In this world exclusive, she tells Female First the incredible story of how it all began with a chance meeting on a Zoom call.
Samantha poses with VNCCII: The Awakening of a Divine Warrior which will go to the Moon in July. credit VNCCII
In July this year, my debut novel, VNCCII: The Awakening of a Divine Warrior, is due to travel aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lunar mission, launching on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral, Florida, before making its way to the Nobile Crater region at the Moon’s south pole.
If all goes to plan, it will be added to The Galactic Library Preserve Humanity, a lunar archive created to safeguard human creativity, culture and knowledge for generations to come.
It is set to be the first science-fiction novel in the archive, which also includes material from the reimagined Library of Alexandria, Apollo guidance computer documents and, somewhat bizarrely, Miracle on 34th Street the Musical.
And what makes this all the more remarkable is that the book, out now, was self-published and penned during Covid lockdown.
My journey to this point has been so out of this world that, even now, it is hard to believe it really happened – and it all unfolded through a series of remarkable coincidences.
It all began long before the book itself. Back in 2018, I created my music stage persona, ‘VNCCII’, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and by my fascination with human potential, transformation and the future. VNCCII became an extension of my creative identity – a fictional character at the centre of my work across music, performance and storytelling.
At first, the story existed more as an idea than a novel. During Covid lockdown, when the world felt divided, uncertain and strangely suspended, I found myself with the space to go deeper into that universe and start writing properly. What followed felt deeply intuitive, as though the story was arriving at exactly the moment I was ready to tell it. Writing became a way to turn uncertainty into something creative, hopeful and alive.
During that time, I was also developing a wider creative universe I call Galacta.i.ssance, blending the ideas of galaxy, authentic intelligence and renaissance. It became a space for dreamers, visionaries and optimists – a way of exploring how humanity might navigate the age of artificial intelligence, rapid technological change and, perhaps one day, life as a space-faring civilisation.
Those ideas shaped VNCCII: The Awakening of a Divine Warrior. In the story, VNCCII is a superheroine from an intergalactic future, guided by love and powered by starlight. Her journey is about transformation, awakening and rediscovering purpose.
The book itself is unusual in that it mixes science fiction with music through original songs woven into the story. More than anything, I wanted it to offer hope – and to remind readers of how deeply connected we really are.
From there, events began to unfold in a way I could never have predicted. In 2023, I joined the Interstellar Foundation, a non-profit inspired by Carl Sagan’s Golden Record sent into space aboard Voyager, and later became an artist-in-residence. It was through that role that I met two people who would change my life forever and remain two of my closest friends.
I was waiting in a chat room on a Zoom call with the Interstellar Foundation, and so was Bruce Ha, the inventor of NanoFiche - an advanced material made from nickel and gold, with text laser-etched so precisely it can be read under a microscope - who I had never met before. It eventually became clear the conversation we should’ve joined was going on elsewhere – without us. So, we started chatting and bonded immediately.
After I completed the book, Bruce invited me to have it preserved as part of the first Galactic Library Preserve Humanity aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lunar lander mission. When he told me he wanted to preserve it – recognising it as the first musical science-fiction novel to be archived there – I was lost for words. Having chosen to publish independently, it felt like an extraordinary affirmation of the path I had taken.
Another important influence was Frank White, author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution. Frank and I often talk about how this shift in perspective does not always require leaving Earth. Sometimes it begins with looking inward – what we call “in-ploration”. He later wrote the foreword for the novel, describing it as a dreamlike world of interplanetary portals, time travel and sentient robots with a deeper message for humanity.
As a futurist, my work has since taken me around the world speaking at conferences including Abundance360. At one event, I joined Elon Musk on stage – via Peter Diamandis’ FaceTime – for a discussion about the future of AI and humanity. Again and again, I found myself returning to the same central question: what kind of future are we building, and what values will guide us there?
That question sits at the heart of this book. For me, VNCCII is a symbol of awakening, compassion and courage. She represents the part of all of us that wants to move beyond fear and towards something higher, kinder and more connected.
Perhaps that is why this moment feels so emotional. In a few months’ time, my book will be immortalised in a small metal capsule on the Moon’s surface. Its text will be transferred onto NanoFiche, a substance designed to withstand radiation and extreme lunar conditions. In theory, it should remain in the same condition for up to one million years.
In July, the exact date and time aren’t yet known, when the Falcon rocket blasts off, I’ll be at Cape Canaveral with my parents. They’ve supported my creative path from the very beginning, so being able to share this spectacle with them will be an especially proud and emotional moment.
More than anything, I hope readers see something of themselves in this story. In a world that can feel fractured and overwhelming, I wanted to create something that points back to meaning, imagination and hope. Ultimately, this story is for all of us.
VNCCII is you. She is me. She is us.
Samantha Tauber (FRSA) is the creator of VNCCII® - a cosmic superheroine and celestial ally for humanity's evolution - and founder of the Galacta.i.ssance Movement and World-Building Universe, a bold cultural renaissance designed to elevate consciousness, awaken imagination, and guide humanity towards an abundant future.
Through her alter ego, VNCCII®, she fuses music, science, immersive technology, and storytelling into a living, dynamic mythos. This intentionally crafted world-building platform inspires humanity to meet the challenges of the technological, AI, and space frontier age with hope, courage, and unity.
At the heart of Galacta.i.ssance lies a simple yet profound vision:
“Awaken your soul purpose. Attune to your authentic essence. Elevate our humanity.”
VNCCII: The Awakening of a Divine Warrior
Read more about Samantha at https://www.galactaissance.world/