NASA is inviting people around the world to send their names to the Moon with the Artemis II astronauts on the upcoming crewed mission. Names submitted will be stored on a memory card placed inside the Orion spacecraft during the mission.
Announced recently on X, Artemis II is scheduled to launch in early 2026, marking the first human mission to the Moon in more than fifty years. Anyone can register to have their name travel along with the four astronauts on the ten-day orbital journey.
The Artemis II crew includes NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. This will be the first group of people to orbit the Moon since the Apollo missions.
During the registration, participants can submit their names in English or Spanish for free on NASA’s website until January 21, 2026. After registering, they will receive a collectible “boarding pass” confirming their inclusion on the mission. All names will be stored on a flash memory card as part of the Artemis II Official Flight Kit, alongside other commemorative items. Thousands of people have already registered.
Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator at NASA, said, “Artemis II is an excellent opportunity to inspire people across the globe and to offer them an opportunity to follow along as we lead the way in human exploration deeper into space.”
Space collectibles expert Robert Pearlman explained, “This is one way for the public to feel like they’re a little closer to the mission than just being spectators.” He also highlighted that sending names to space has become a NASA tradition, with names already flying aboard missions such as the Perseverance rover on Mars, the Parker Solar Probe, and the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, which sent an Orion spacecraft around the Moon. If Artemis II and subsequent missions go as planned and receive sufficient funding, Artemis III could see astronauts landing on the Moon for approximately a month as early as 2027, resuming deep-space exploration.
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