Have you ever dreamed of traveling to the moon and back? While that might not yet be possible for everyone, NASA is offering the next best thing: the chance to send your name into space.
FLORIDA, USA — NASA is extending an exciting opportunity for space enthusiasts to have their names accompany the Artemis II mission. This mission is set to carry out a test flight around the moon, effectively allowing participants to symbolically join the journey.
To be a part of this unique venture, participants can register for a virtual boarding pass. This will ensure their name is included on an SD card that will be taken aboard the spacecraft for the launch.
According to NASA, those with a virtual boarding pass will be symbolically accompanying four astronauts as they embark on a mission around the moon. This test flight aims to validate the systems and equipment essential for future deep space travel.
“Artemis II represents a pivotal test flight in our mission to return humans to the moon and lays the groundwork for future expeditions to Mars,” stated Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It also serves as an opportunity to inspire global audiences and invite them to follow along as we lead the charge in human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit.”
To have your name included in this historic mission, simply visit NASA’s Artemis II webpage where you can enter your first and last name. You will also be prompted to select a PIN number between four and seven digits.
Once given the digital boarding pass, people will have the option to be a virtual guest for the launch and can sign up for mission updates and other details. The estimated 10-day Artemis II test flight is expected to launch no later than April 2026, according to NASA.
Crew commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and Christina Koch — longtime NASA astronauts with spaceflight experience — will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former fighter pilot awaiting his first rocket ride.
They will be the first people to fly to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. Twelve astronauts strolled the lunar surface, beginning with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969. Only four moonwalkers are still alive; Aldrin, the oldest, turns 96 on Tuesday.
“They are so fired up that we are headed back to the moon,” Wiseman said. “They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”
NASA is waiting to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket on the pad in early February before confirming a launch date.
“We’ve, I think, zero intention of communicating an actual launch date” until completing the fueling demo, Isaacman told reporters.
The space agency has only five days to launch in the first half of February before bumping into March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
