NASA's Artemis 1: Here's a chance to send your name to the Moon aboard Orion spacecraft

Fellow Earthlings can now send their names to the Moon under NASA's Artemis 1 mission, which is targeted for launch later this year. NASA is inviting interested ones to generate a digital boarding pass of their own which can be done for free through this NASA page. Once opened, the agency would ask for your first name, last name and a pin code of 4-7 digits required for the pass. According to the agency, the boarding pass created using the said details would be fed into a flash drive that would fly aboard the Orion spacecraft to the lunar orbit. 

Artemis 1 likely to be launched by late May: NASA

In a recent mission update, a NASA official said that the agency is targeting late May for the launch of the first Artemis mission. Tom Whitmeyer, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development said that April, which was the previous target, is unlikely and the tail end of May is the most feasible. The launch would be carried out on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, mounted with the Orion spacecraft, which is yet to roll out on the launch pad.

Currently, at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the rocket has passed the crucial testing stage and is expected to hit the launch pad on March 18. The rocket will be rolled out for the 'wet dress rehearsals' wherein it will be filled with fuel for final tests. The rollout was previously scheduled for mid-February, however, it got delayed as NASA said it needed more time for the final checks. 

What is Artemis 1 mission?

As NASA describes it, Artemis 1 is the uncrewed test flight of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft that would pave "the way toward landing the first woman and the first person of colour on the Moon". It would also be the first of many launches that would eventually lead to humans making their return to the lunar surface. "Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come", says NASA. The uncrewed launch will entail a four to six-week-long mission wherein the spacecraft would hover in the lunar orbit for scientists to gather crucial data that would help in future missions actually involving humans.

Image: NASA