This specially trained woolly ESA astronaut will fly on Artemis I Moon mission

The launch of NASA's Artemis I mission is right around the corner. Flying on this mission is a specially trained woolly astronaut - named Shaun the Sheep.

While this mission is not carrying a human crew, it will instead be controlled from the ground with its woolly specialist as a passenger. Shaun's assignment was announced by the European Space Agency's Director for Human and Robotic Exploration Dr David Parker on Tuesday.

For the unversed, Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence on the Moon for decades to come. NASA is currently targeting launch no earlier than Monday, August 29, at 8:33 a.m. EDT. A successful launch on August 29 would result in a mission duration of about 42 days, returning Monday, October 10.

The Artemis I lunar mission will be the first flight of NASA's new Orion spacecraft with an ESA European Service Module, planned to go around the Moon and back. Shaun began a programme of astronaut training and familiarisation with the Orion and its European Service Module in 2020, travelling to various locations across Europe and the USA to see different aspects of the mission.

In the above image, the woolly astronaut is pictured in front of a model of the Orion/European Service Module spacecraft.

"This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA. 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," said Dr David Parker.

The specially trained woolly astronaut @shaunthesheep has been assigned a seat on the #Artemis I mission to the #Moon, the first flight of the @NASA_Orion spacecraft with a European Service Module 👉 https://t.co/gxWfZ60jOk #ForwardToTheMoon #ExploreFarther #ShaunInSpace pic.twitter.com/a1jTTpQS2g

— ESA (@esa) August 2, 2022