The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that Shaun the Sheep will go to the Moon with NASA's Artemis 1 test flight dummy.
Shaun will participate in the inaugural mission of NASA's Orion spacecraft, designed to orbit the moon once and return.
The fuzzy expert on this flight will be controlled from the ground rather than as part of a human crew, according to Aardman.
Shaun The Sheep To Join NASA Artemis 1 Mission
With the news, the lovable creature from Aardman will officially make history as the first ESA astronaut to participate in the NASA Artemis 1 mission.
"This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA," ESA Director for Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said in a statement. "We're woolly very happy that he's been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, it's a giant leap for lambkind."
The ESA official explained that Shaun's mission assignment completes the first phase for the newest members of their astronaut corps before introducing their new astronauts from the 2021 call for selection later this year.
NASA said that Artemis 1 might launch as early as Aug. 23 after its next-generation SLS rocket had a successful fuelling test, Engadget reported. The mission will take Shaun and Commander Moonikin Campos beyond the moon aboard the agency's Orion spacecraft. If all goes as planned, the capsule should land on Earth after 39 to 42 days in space.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 05: Characters (L-R) Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, the Gruffalo and a Clanger take part in the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in front of Buckingham Palace, on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 05, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952.
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Shaun the Sheep's creators, Aardman, expressed their excitement at taking part in the endeavor to send the first "sheep" into orbit.
ESA added in the same statement that Artemis 1 would make a flyby of the moon, using lunar gravity to accelerate and drive itself about half a million kilometers away from Earth.
Shaun's quest might open the door for the first lunar landing in more than 50 years if he succeeds.
About NASA Artemis 1 Mission
According to Aerohub, the Artemis project is the first mission in the next phase of human space exploration. It includes NASA's plans to build a lasting base on the moon to prepare for trips to Mars.
The NASA Orion spacecraft's maiden flight with an ESA European Service Module is the Artemis I mission. According to ESA, Shaun the Sheep will be a passenger on the mission, which is uncrewed and will be managed from the ground.
The spacecraft will fly by the moon after taking off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, utilizing the moon's gravity to accelerate up and go 70,000 kilometers beyond the moon. It is further than any sheep or human has ever traveled and is equivalent to over 500,000 kilometers from Earth.
During a two-hour window, NASA stated in a blog post on July 29, 2022, that it was aiming for a launch no sooner than August 29, 2022, at 8:33 a.m. EDT (12:33 UTC). The mission, if successful, will last 42 days and return on Oct. 10. There are more launch possibilities on Sept. 2 and Sept. 5.
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