FEBRUARY 22, 2021 - The Orville has finally made it into space - for real!

All the way back in June of 2020, we told you about a collection of flags from the Trek-alike series The Orville, destined for a 75 million mile tour in the vacuum of space, attached to the International Space Station. After a few hiccups along the way, those flags have finally made it, riding along on the spacecraft Cygnus NG-15, which docked with the I.S.S. on Monday. To bring you the details, we spoke via email with Richard Garner, Director of The Space Collective and the man responsible for this astronomical achievement.

When we first reported on the plan to send flags from The Orville into space, that payload was initially scheduled to fly on Cygnus NG-14, which launched in October of last year. According to Richard Garner, complications stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic meant they were unable to “complete the integration procedures” in time to make the October launch. The team at The Space Collective decided instead to schedule to fly on the next available mission, Cygnus NG-15. That spacecraft was launched on February 20th using an Antares class rocket, and successfully docked with the I.S.S. early Monday morning.

Richard Garner is not only a space enthusiast, but a lifelong fan of science fiction. As a fan of both Star Trek and The Orville, Garner felt a sense of obligation to help further the positive social impact made by the two franchises. “I believe that we have a responsibility to encourage positive social change in any way that we can,” Garner said, adding, “TV and film have always been an incredible medium in which to do that. You need only look at the Star Trek fanbase to see the positive social impact that comes with growing up on the Roddenberry philosophy.” Garner feels that The Orville is now a part of this philosophy, “whether intentional or not”. With his connections at NASA, he was able to secure a place on board the Cygnus spacecraft to bring part of The Orville to space in an effort to not only promote the series, but to promote the positive ideals put forth by The Orville.

“The Orville, much like Star Trek, challenges the social conventions and problems we face as a society today, [making] us think about where these problems could lead us if left unchallenged.” Garner said. “As one of the generations who grew up on Star Trek, the philosophy behind the show, a philosophy shared by The Orville, has guided much of my life, so the impact really is substantial.”

Garner shared his excitement for the launch on social media on Saturday, thanking NASA and aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman for their support. He tweeted again Monday morning with a screenshot of the Cygnus spacecraft a mere 250 meters from the ISS, using the simple phrase “There she is!”

The Space Collective hopes to be able to send more sci-fi memorabilia to space in the future. “Ultimately,” Garner said, “we are beholden to NASA and producers of the show (or shows) in question about exactly what we can fly.” As long as all parties approve, he says they “will absolutely send more sci-fi memorabilia into space in the future, so stay tuned!”