How you can go to the Moon on NASA’s first-ever robotic lunar rover without ever leaving Earth

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rocket carrying Ovzon 3

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on Wednesday evening, carrying with it the Ovzon 3 mission.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - If you've ever wanted to fly to the Moon, now's your chance. There's a catch though – you won't exactly be flying to space, but your name will!

NASA is inviting people to send their names to the Moon aboard its first-ever robotic lunar rover, VIPER – which is short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover.

The rover is set to take a trip to the South Pole to "unravel the mysteries of the Moon’s water and better understand the environment where NASA plans to land the first woman and first person of color under its Artemis program," according to NASA.

"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," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "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."

Photo: NASA

Your name can be involved in this mission – and it's not the first time NASA's done this. In the past, tens of millions of people have sent their names to ride along with Artemis I, several Mars spacecraft and the upcoming Europa Clipper mission, NASA said.

"It draws from the agency’s long tradition of shipping inspirational messages on spacecraft that have explored our solar system and beyond," NASA said.

When is VIPER launching?

Astrobotic Technologies’ Griffin Mission One is set to deliver VIPER to the Moon's surface after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral in late 2024, according to NASA. An exact date has not yet been announced.

When VIPER gets to the Moon, it will "rely on its solar panels and batteries for its roughly 100-day mission to survive extreme temperatures and challenging lighting conditions, while powering a suite of science instruments designed to gather data about the characteristics and concentrations of lunar ice and other possible resources," NASA said.

Click here for more information about VIPER.

How you can send your name to space on NASA's first-ever robotic lunar rover

To participate in the "Send Your Name with VIPER" campaign, all you have to do is enter your first and last name and create a 4- to 7-digit pin used to access your "boarding pass" in the future.

You can also download a picture of your boarding pass and share it with all your friends and family using the hashtag #SendYourName.

FOX 35 signed up, too!