NASA is getting ready to launch its uncrewed Artemis I mission, which is the first mission of the agency’s program to eventually return astronauts to the moon. Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence on the Moon for decades to come. Artemis 1 will launch from the historic Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, using the Space Launch System (SLS) for the very first time. NASA says the Orion spacecraft “will demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.”
Although the mission is uncrewed, NASA is collecting names to be put on a flash drive that will be sent into space on the Orion spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than late May 2022. The sign-up process is easy: go to this link on NASA’s website, and click on the “Get boarding pass.” Users will be directed to fill in their first and last name, along with a 4-7 digit pin code. A “boarding pass” will be displayed with your name, which you can save, or you can access it again later by remembering your pin code. After submitting, NASA will send a QR code to allow those who sign up to join future NASA launches by watching online. According to NASA, for this particular mission, the flash drive needs to be packed on the spacecraft about a month before the launch date, which will determine how long NASA will accept submissions. So, plan on getting your boarding pass sooner rather than later!
The plan is for the uncrewed Orion to orbit the Moon for approximately a week and spend about a month in space. This will allow engineers to test out all the systems onboard the spacecraft and rocket and enable the first future crews to travel beyond Earth orbit since 1972, the final Apollo mission.