Shaun the Sheep is Joining the Unmanned Artemis 1 Mission Later This Year

The renowned stop-motion British television figure Shaun the Sheep will fly on the first flight of the new Space Launch System (SLS) to launch the Artemis program, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Shaun the Sheep Will Go to Space

Shaun the Sheep has been given a seat on the Artemis I mission to the Moon, according to a Tuesday announcement from Aardman and the ESA. Shaun will participate in the first mission of NASA's Orion spacecraft, which is designed to orbit the Moon and back.

Shaun has also been spotted on a parabolic flight in a special Airbus "zero g" A310 aircraft that simulates microgravity-like conditions to "train" for the expedition, according to the news story of CNET.

Orion and Shaun will travel farther on this expedition than any human or stop-motion animation character has ever done-nearly 500,000 kilometers (311,000 miles).

Before the rocket's upper stage ignites to send the spacecraft into a translunar orbit, it will first enter a low-Earth orbit.

Engadget reported that the mission will take Shaun and Commander Moonikin Campos beyond the moon aboard the agency's Orion spacecraft. After 39 to 42 days in space, if everything goes according to plan, the capsule should land on Earth.

Shaun the Sheep Is Not the First Plush Toy To Go to Space

It has become customary for space crews to include a plush toy on missions ever since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin brought a little doll with him, according to an Engadget news story. This tradition has included some unmanned flights as well.

For instance, the news outlet said the Boeing Starliner spacecraft carried a plush toy representing Jebediah Kerman from the Kerbal Space Program to the International Space Station in May.

When Will Artemis I Launch?

It was previously reported that soon, Florida's Kennedy Space Center will witness the launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The three launch dates that NASA is considering are Aug. 29, Sept. 2, and Sept. 5.

Before returning to Earth and falling into the Pacific Ocean, the unmanned Orion spacecraft will spend several weeks in lunar orbit.

The following are the launch times and mission durations as we have reported previously:

• Aug. 29: 8:33 a.m. ET, 42 days, Oct. 10 landing

• Sept. 2: 12:48 p.m. ET, 39 days, Oct. 11 landing

• Sept. 5: 5:12 p.m. ET, 42 days, Oct. 17 landing

For the launch, lunar flight, and splashdown on Earth, NASA should make sure that all required systems have been cleared. Work continues to fix issues that were found during the wet dress rehearsal before the SLS stack leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SLS stack must pass such tests within the VAB before the spacecraft may proceed to the launch pad.

How Important is the Artemis Mission

The Artemis I mission's goals are to evaluate the SLS rocket's performance and demonstrate Orion's ability to return from the Moon and survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. If everything goes as planned, Artemis II, a human flight around the Moon, might happen in 2025.