NASA’s next trip around the moon could have your name on it

a mock up of a boarding pass for a flight during artemis 2 — Boarding passes will carry participants’ names on NASA’s Artemis II mission in 2026. CREDIT: NASA.

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As NASA gears up next year’s Artemis II test flight, you have an opportunity to add your name to the spacecraft’s digital manifest. You can claim your “spot” and boarding pass alongside the crew by adding your name here by January 21, 2026. You can also add your name and get a boarding pass in Spanish.

The names will be placed on an SD card loaded aboard the Orion spacecraft and SLS (Space Launch System) rocket before the launch scheduled for next April. In return, those who submit their name can download a boarding pass (available in English and Spanish) as collectable.

four memebers of the artemis 2 crew stand in a linke in blue jumpsuits. from left: Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist. — The Artemis II crew is shown inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in front of their Orion crew module on August 8, 2023. From left are: Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist. *CREDIT: NASA/Kim Shiflett.*

The names will travel alongside three NASA astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

“Artemis II is a key test flight in our effort to return humans to the Moon’s surface and build toward future missions to Mars, and it’s also an opportunity to inspire people across the globe and to give them an opportunity to follow along as we lead the way in human exploration deeper into space,” Lori Glaze, the acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, said in a statement.

Following Artemis I’s uncrewed launch in November 2022 and the successful splashdown 25.5 days later, the roughly 10-day Artemis II test flight is scheduled to take off no later than April 2026. It will be the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign.

According to NASA, their mission will be to make sure that all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with actual crewmembers (not just ‘Moonikins’ or a Snoopy gravity indicator) in deep space. Among other tests, the crew will assess Orion’s onboard life support systems, which are necessary to generate breathable air, while removing carbon dioxide and water vapor produced when the astronauts breathe, speak, or exercise. The four-person crew will also test the systems during their exercise periods (when the crew’s metabolic rate is at its peak) and during sleep when it is at its lowest.

If getting your name aboard a spacecraft is not enough, there is also time to submit your idea for some new moon tires.