N° 12–2023: Call for media: Shaun the Sheep kicks off Artemis I post-flight tour

ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker will formally congratulate Shaun before he visits space centres across Europe.

Woolly astronaut Shaun the Sheep flew on the Artemis I mission, the first flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft with an ESA European Service Module, around the Moon and back.

Orion and its European Service Module were launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 November 2022. The spacecraft, with astronaut Shaun the Sheep on board, performed a flyby of the Moon, using lunar gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70 000 km beyond the Moon, almost half a million kilometres from Earth – farther than any human, or sheep, has ever travelled.

Shaun returned safely when the Orion crew capsule separated from its European Service Module, reentered Earth’s atmosphere and successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 11 December.

In preparation for this flight, Shaun participated in an intensive programme of astronaut training. This training was documented and presented in a series of ESA blog posts leading up to the launch.

ESA now invites you to celebrate Shaun the Sheep’s return from his mission:

Date: Wednesday 29 March 2023
Time: 12:00–13:15 BST / 13:00–14:15 CEST
Location: Aardman Animations, 1 Gas Ferry Road, Bristol, BS1 6UN 

Media opportunities include:

• Filming with astronaut Shaun
• An interview with ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker
• A new piece of Aardman history will be revealed along with the chance to interview Aardman’s co-founder Peter Lord. 

Media registration:

To attend, please RSVP to Anna Lewis on anna.lewis@aardman.com

Refreshments will be provided.

 

About Shaun the Sheep

Shaun the Sheep, Aardman’s family favourite TV series, is recognised the world over for its slapstick humour, distinctive look and strong, quirky characters and enjoyed across multiple media platforms. First appearing in Nick Park’s 1995 Academy Award® winning Wallace & Gromit ‘A Close Shave’, Shaun then went on to star in his own series, created by Richard Starzak which launched on BBC One in 2007.  Shaun the Sheep is currently broadcast in 170 territories around the world and is an internationally celebrated icon with over 5.6 million fans on Facebook.  In 2015 the first Shaun the Sheep Movie with feature film partner Studiocanal was released around the world to critical acclaim and the first half hour TV special aired as part of many broadcaster’s festive season. The feature film sequel Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon was released in October 2019 and nominated for an Academy Award® and was closely followed by a sixth season of the series in 2020.  A new festive special Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas was released in December 2021.

Social media

Twitter: @ESA, @esaspaceflight,  @ShauntheSheep, @Aardman
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency, @ShauntheSheep, @Aardmananimations
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency, shaunthesheep, Aardman
YouTube: ESA 

Official hashtags: #ForwardToTheMoon #ExploreFarther #ShaunInSpace #ShauntheSheep

Images

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images

Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images

For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.

Videos

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos

Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions

For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int.

See more: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Artemis_I

About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members.

ESA has established formal cooperation with five Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.

Learn more at www.esa.int

About Aardman

Aardman, is an employee-owned company is based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is an independent and multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA® award winning studio. It produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment – current animated productions include: 2021 holiday specials Robin Robin and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, CGI series Lloyd of the Flies, a new stop motion series for pre-schoolers The Very Small Creatures, feature length sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and a brand new Wallace & Gromit film for 2024.

Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. Recent celebrated projects include the ‘visually astonishing’ (Guardian), BAFTA® nominated console game, 11-11: Memories Retold, the four-times Gold Cannes Lions-winning StorySign app, AR experience Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix up - and innovative attractions for both the domestic and international market, including a 4D theatre attraction at Efteling in the Netherlands.

The studio runs the Aardman Academy which has a commitment to nurturing talent by delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops teaching production skills and storyboarding, to comprehensive twelve-week courses for professionals in craft based subjects from model making to animation.

In November 2018 it became an Employee Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come. www.aardman.com

For further information:

ESA Newsroom and Media Relations Office – Ninja Menning
Email: media@esa.int
Tel: +31 71 5656409

Aardman - www.aardman.com