Celebrate the Artemis I mission with Shaun the Sheep

Shaun represented ESA on the first flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft that is powered by a European Service Module. The woolly astronaut splashed down safely in Orion’s crew capsule on 11 December 2022, after a 25-day mission to the Moon and back. 

Artemis I was the first flight of the next generation of human spacecraft to return humankind to the Moon. Orion and its European Service Module were launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 16 November 2022. The spacecraft performed a flyby of the Moon, used lunar gravity and its main engine to gain speed and propel itself 70 000 km beyond the Moon, over 430 000 km from Earth – farther than any human, or sheep, has ever travelled.

Flying just 130 km from the Moon’s surface, the spacecraft returned to Earth for a safe splashdown with Shaun entering our atmosphere at speeds of 39 590 km/h, faster than a return from the International Space Station, and 24 times faster than a speeding bullet. 

After a much-needed rest, Shaun has returned to the Aardman studio in Bristol before continuing his astronaut duties on a post-flight tour. ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker and ESA astronaut candidate Rosemary Coogan will formally congratulate Shaun before he visits space centres across Europe to continue learning about programmes the European Space Agency offers in space exploration. 

ESA’s director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker, said “It is always a special pleasure to greet European astronauts when they return from space, and today I am delighted to welcome Shaun the Sheep, alive and wool after a well-deserved rest on the farm. 

“As the first sheep to fly to the Moon and back, he’s got a lot to teach us about the ambition, talent and diversity needed for Europe’s exploration of space. I am sure everyone will flock to meet him during his post-flight tour.”

Peter Lord, Co-founder and Creative Director at Aardman said, “I can hardly believe I’m writing this, but Shaun the Sheep has just returned from a trip around the Moon! Everyone at the Aardman studio is bursting with pride as we celebrate his historic journey from Mossy Bottom Farm to the vast emptiness of space. And we’re equally delighted and proud of our partnership with ESA, who trained him for the flight and made the whole adventure possible. No sheep has ever seen so much or travelled so far.”

This exceptional moment will also be marked with the unveiling of a new piece of Aardman history, as Shaun’s astronaut portrait and a commemorative plaque will be placed on permanent display at the Aardman studio.

The same portrait photo is hanging proudly at the European Service Module control centre at ESA’s technical heart in The Netherlands. 

The Artemis II mission is in preparation and the astronauts that will fly around the Moon in 2024 to be announced in April. The European Service Module for this second Artemis mission is almost complete and undergoing standard pre-launch tests at NASA’s operations and checkout building six km from the Artemis launchpad.