Most missions to space, whether they be human or robotic, are long-term endeavors. Even diminutive CubeSats require multiple years of concerted effort to reach the launch pad. These preparations can feel like a marathon from the perspective of the people who design and build a spacecraft, but there are a handful of distinct moments which cause a mission to shift from a notional concept to an imminent feat in the eye of the public. Some of these milestones, such as the integration of two elements of a rocket, are necessary for mission success. Others are more symbolic.
The creation of a mission patch falls into the latter category. A patch is not a prerequisite for a successful launch; during the early Space Shuttle program, NASA considered eschewing them until the Astronaut Office revolted against the change in policy. Despite this, patches have worked their way into the culture of exploration, blending science and art in a unique way. Today, it would be inconceivable to send a crew to space without one. Earlier this month, the Artemis 2 astronauts made their contribution to this 60-year-old tradition by unveiling their crew’s mission patch. It harkens back to some of NASA’s most iconic emblems, yet it also moves in a new aesthetic direction as the Artemis era begins.
Perhaps the most noteworthy element of the Artemis 2 mission patch is its visual profile. Its arrowhead-shaped silhouette is borrowed from the generic Artemis program patch. This creates continuity with subsequent lunar landing missions, at the cost of constraining the number of elements which can be incorporated into the design.
The Moon and the Earth dominate the area inside the border. Artemis 2’s destination looms in the foreground, while the crew’s home planet rises behind its limb. The scene depicted in the patch is nearly identical to the view which the astronauts will see during their lunar flyby. As AmericaSpace has described in detail, Artemis 2 will approach the Moon at a lower velocity than the Apollo missions. Its lunar flyby will therefore be 30 times further from the lunar surface than Apollo 13’s encounter, which will create unique opportunities for scientific investigations. Just as the patch depicts, the full disk of the lunar far side will fill their windows, while Earth will be a smaller orb in the background. The texture of the patch emphasizes that the lunar far side, with its rugged terrain and its ancient, overlapping craters, will be the focus of the flyby.
Another focal point is the Roman numeral for Artemis II. NASA officially identifies the Artemis missions with Roman numerals, rather than the more familiar Arabic numerals which we commonly use. In a happy coincidence, Artemis II can be abbreviated into the word “All.” Indeed, this appears to be the primary reason why the crew selected this design. In their official caption for the patch, they wrote, “This patch designates the mission as “AII,” signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign, but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all” [1]. It is another link with the historic Apollo program, signifying that we return to the Moon as we left, “with peace and hope for all mankind.”
Finally, the surnames of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen adorn the bottom left corner of the patch. This is a standard practice for mission patches. NASA has conducted nearly 180 human spaceflights, and only six missions (Gemini 7, 9, and 10; Apollo 11 and 13; and SpaceX Crew-1 and 9) have omitted names altogether. However, the unique shape of the patch forces the names to be printed in a small font size. It remains to be seen whether this will cause any issues when embroidered versions of the patch are manufactured. Recently, SpaceX Crew-10 flew with history’s first AI-designed mission patch. The compact font caused the astronauts’ names to border on the verge of illegibility. If anything, the names on the Artemis patch appear to be smaller.
The mission patch has been a work in progress for a long time. We know that the crewmembers have been contemplating the design since at least September of 2023, when Commander Wiseman discussed it in an interview with AmericaSpace. “We are working with an artist on the patch,” said Wiseman. “We have our first iteration. We just had our second meeting with him, so we are working on a second iteration. But I will tell you that it will probably be pretty simple.” The final patch undoubtedly satisfied Wiseman’s requirement for elegance and austerity.
The artist in question was Gregory Manchess, a distinguished oil painter who has contributed to books, films, art galleries, and more. Until recently, Manchess was not affiliated with the space program. In 2017, he developed a friendship with astronaut Kjell Lindgren, who later invited him to design the patch for the first operational flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon [2]. Glover happened to be the pilot of that mission.
Crew-1 is arguably one of the most attractive designs in the 60-year history of patch design, and it opened the door for Manchess to work with NASA on a regular basis. He subsequently designed the patches for Crew-2, Crew-3, Crew-5, and Crew-7. Manchess’ designs are known for their bold colors, as well as for their visual simplicity in comparison to the busier designs of the Shuttle era. Given his preexisting connection to Glover and the alignment between his design philosophy and Wiseman’s, Manchess was an ideal illustrator for the Artemis 2 patch.
Given that the crew continued iterating on the design for 18 more months, it is clear that a lot of effort has been invested in the finished product. That attention is fitting, given Artemis 2’s place in history. In 2023, A-B Emblem CEO Bernie Conrad remarked that demand has declined since the retirement of the Shuttle and that modern mission patches are sold in low quantities [3]. It would not be surprising if Artemis drives a resurgence in demand. Like the classic Apollo designs, the Artemis patches are likely to remain in the public consciousness for generations as part of a relatively small collection of lunar mission insignia.
We do not know when the patch was completed, or which of the four astronauts led the design process. It is possible that it was finalized several months ago and that NASA was waiting to gain more confidence in the Artemis 2 launch date before releasing it. In any case, the crew decided to unveil it on April 3rd, which marked the second anniversary of the announcement of their assignment to the mission. The night after the patch was revealed online, the SLS team projected a digital rendition of the design onto the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it dominated the skyline of Florida’s Space Coast.
Attention now turns to adapting the design for the commercial market. All of NASA’s mission patches are manufactured by A-B Emblem, a small business located in Weaverville, North Carolina. The company has been the official provider of the souvenirs since 1970, when it received a contract from the Astronaut Office during the heyday of the Apollo program. While A-B Emblem opened factories in Mexico and China to support its other customers, it has made a commitment to produce all of its NASA patches in Weaverville. The company has 44 embroidery machines, which work in unison to produce patches en masse.
While the physical Artemis 2 patch will look similar to the digital design, it entails some unique challenges. The embroidery machines can only print in eight colors, and the minimum size of a feature is equal to the width of a single thread. Patches are typically four inches tall, so the entire design must be shrunk to fit within a relatively small outline. Once these limitations are accommodated, the stitching pattern must be programmed into the embroidery machines, and then test patches must be produced to verify that the final product satisfies the crew and NASA management.
As eager as many collectors are to purchase the Artemis 2 patch, all of these steps will take time. Robert Pearlman, the founder of CollectSpace and a space memorabilia historian, provided a brief update on the status of this process on his website. “It is going to be a little longer before A-B Emblem can start offering this patch for sale,” he said [4]. They are still working on finalizing the embroidery with the Astronaut Office.”
The similarities between Artemis 2 and its historical predecessor, Apollo 8, have become more poignant with the passage of time. Both missions represent a generation’s first foray into deep space, and both are engrained in eras where it is difficult for Americans to otherwise find common ground. The mission patches also reflect the parallels between the two flights. Like the Artemis 2 patch, Apollo 8’s insignia features a red line tracing the crew’s journey between the Earth and the Moon. Our home planet and our cosmic companion are both featured in the designs, and that is no accident. The Moon may be the object of our curiosity, but the pioneering spirit which causes us to turn our eyes skyward originated on Earth. By following the path depicted by the patch, perhaps we will be able to rediscover our shared destiny.
Missions » SLS » Artemis »
I saw a great photo on the web recently. The way I would have phrased it is–here is Orion standing in front of the capsule–the people are Orion–they are what we do this for.
Instead of being appreciated, they get called a “standing army” or worse.
I thought Trump was supposed to be against downsizing.
Too bad he doesn’t respect NASA folks as much as folks who worked in textile mills.