I'm not too sure when exactly PHM is set, but I like to imagine the idea of the final Hail Mary Launch being before 2020. Why? Imagine;
The first half of the Project is done, Eva Stratt and many of her conspirators are in prison. Covid-19 breaks out. The world governments think "Gosh, if only we had someone who could efficiently coordinate a global crisis caused by a micro-organism, who would also be a convinient scape goat if it all goes to shit?"
A little while later Stratt is released from (or suspended?) from prison and is made benevolent dictator of Earth once again.
I think this is particularly funnier if you use it with one of those 'Grace returns to Earth' aus, 'cause imagine the meeting up again
"I thought you were in prison?"
"They let me out early because of a global pandemic."
"?????"
Additionally it can have an angst factor, because the astronauts leaving on the mission would be going with a 'don't fuck up the earth while I'm gone' mentality, just a 'please just hold out for 27 years' is all they ask. And if they ever got back they're met with 'sorry we had a global pandemic caused by a virus'.
And if you want to take this one step further it could spiral into Stratt being like a default-Earth leader (like they have in sci-fis where there's an entire planetary representative).
Again, I'm not sure of the canonical timeline, and I don't care if this is politically or legally unrealistic (tbh having Stratt have complete diplomatic immunity and control over all the agreeing nations in canon was politically unrealistic) but I really like this idea and wanted to share.
P.S. I know that viruses aren't technically micro-organisms because we're not entirely sure if they're alive and what not