Nasa invites public to send names moon aboard

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) is inviting you to send your name to the moon aboard its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) rover, set to launch later this year.

The VIPER rover, set to be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, will search for resources near the moon's south pole, where Nasa plans to establish crewed bases as part of its Artemis programme, according to Space.com

"With VIPER, we are going to study and explore parts of the moon's surface no one has ever been to before — and with this campaign, we are inviting the world to be part of that risky yet rewarding journey," Nicola Fox, associate administrator for Nasa's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement.

"Just think: Our names will ride along as VIPER navigates across the rugged terrain of the lunar South Pole and gathers valuable data that will help us better understand the history of the moon and the environment where we plan to send Artemis astronauts," Fox added.

Not so surprisingly, getting your name aboard the rover is pretty easy too. You have until March 15 to visit the Nasa and just follow the directions there.

VIPER is part of Nasa's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, which aims to send agency instruments and gear to the moon via private robotic landers.

The lander, Griffin, built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, will carry out its first mission with VIPER, which is set to land near the lunar south pole for the first time in late 2025 or 2026.

Nasa's VIPER name campaign is by no means a novelty as the US space agency frequently asks the public to place their names on its spacecraft.

In November 2022, Nasa's Orion capsule launched the unmanned Artemis 1 mission, which transported almost 3.4 million names to and from lunar orbit.