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Shaun the Sheep is baaa-ck
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A celebration for Shaun the Sheep

04/04/2023 672 views 7 likes
ESA / About Us / Branding and Partnerships

Following a well-deserved rest on the farm, Europe’s woolliest astronaut, Shaun the Sheep, celebrated the success of his Moon mission with a visit to Aardman’s studios in Bristol, UK.

Shaun the Sheep flew beyond the Moon and travelled more than half a million kilometres from Earth on his Artemis I mission.
Shaun the Sheep flew beyond the Moon and travelled more than half a million kilometres from Earth on his Artemis I mission.

Shaun certainly had a lot to celebrate. As a specially trained ESA astronaut, Shaun represented ESA during the Artemis I mission, making a 25-day return trip to the Moon on NASA’s Orion spacecraft before splashing down on 11 December 2022. This epic journey made Shaun both the first sheep in space and the first European to travel around the Moon.

To mark this historic achievement, Shaun returned to Aardman’s animation studios on 29 March 2023, where Shaun’s astronaut portrait complete with a shiny commemorative plaque was unveiled.

ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker, ESA astronaut candidate Rosemary Coogan and Peter Lord, co-founder and Creative Director at Aardman, were among the friends there to congratulate Shaun on the success of his mission.

ESA’s David Parker commented on Shaun’s inspiring giant leap for lambkind, travelling farther than any sheep has gone before: “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.”

Shaun the Sheep at the unveiling of his commemorative portrait with Peter Lord, co-founder and Creative Director at Aardman.
Shaun the Sheep at the unveiling of his commemorative portrait with Peter Lord, co-founder and Creative Director at Aardman.

The celebration of Shaun’s space adventure was also a great moment to reflect on the success of the long-standing partnership between ESA and Aardman. This goes back originally to goodwill messages from their Morph character sent to British ESA astronaut Tim Peake in 2015. Then, in 2019, Shaun completed his astronaut training with ESA ahead of the release of his space-related movie Farmageddon.

Aardman’s Peter Lord expressed delight at how the partnership has grown, taking Shaun on a historic journey from Mossy Bottom Farm to the vast emptiness of space: “We’re equally delighted and proud of our partnership with ESA, who trained him for the flight and made the whole adventure possible.”

ESA’s Head of Partnerships and Branding, Emmet Fletcher, also commented on the success of the partnership: “Shaun the Sheep is a TV and film star loved by millions of fans of every age, all around the world. His universal appeal continues to help us share ESA’s activities with a wider audience.”

Aardman have made a short, animated feature entitled Shaun in Space about Shaun’s trip on the most powerful rocket ever made and his Artemis l lunar mission. Fans of the world’s woolliest astronaut can also find an amazing new ‘Baaartemis’ merchandise collection available at the ESA Space Shop.

Shaun the Sheep trained for space just like any other ESA astronaut, including taking an ESA parabolic flight to experience microgravity.
Shaun the Sheep trained for space just like any other ESA astronaut, including taking an ESA parabolic flight to experience microgravity.

Before returning to astronaut duties, Shaun is heading off on a post-flight tour. He’ll be visiting space centres across Europe and will also get the chance to catch up with his friends at ESA, who trained him to be an astronaut. You can catch up with the latest news about Shaun’s continuing space adventures through ESA blog posts.