Australia celebrates space history with world’s first coin to be minted in 2024

The world’s first coin, to be minted in 2024, will highlight Australia’s history of space exploration.

‘Out of this World – Australia in Space’ was chosen by the Australian Mint as the theme for 2024 to ‘showcase Australia’s history and importance as one of the earliest countries to launch its own satellite’.

The reverse side, or reverse, of the coin depicts Australian astronauts on a spacewalk and the 1967 launch of WRESAT-1 on a modified American Redstone rocket. The satellite will carry experiments to measure upper atmospheric radiation, making Australia the seventh country to conduct a spaceflight. Japan will be the third country after the Soviet Union and the United States to put a satellite into orbit and launch it from its own territory.

The coin’s design also includes the Earth and moon with the Australian continent clearly visible, the latter a nod to the country’s role in providing live television coverage during the first moon landing, Apollo 11. A tribute to Australian-made robotic probes. It will explore the moon’s surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program.

Although the Mint did not say so, the astronaut was Andrew Andrew, the first Australian-born professional astronaut to fly into space and the third of his four spaceflights with NASA. -Possibly named after Thomas. This depiction may also be a reference to Paul Scully Powers, the first Australian to be launched into space, but he was an oceanographer who flew as a payload specialist on the US space shuttle.

Related: Australia decides to name its first lunar probe ‘Roo-ver’

The words “Rover, Technology, Rocket, Astronaut, Satellite, Communications, GPS, Astronomy, Exploration and Discovery” are inscribed along the edge of the reverse side of the coin.

The Mint worked with the Australian Space Agency to design the coin.

“While space is important to our daily lives, it also solves some of the biggest challenges we face, and our government agencies are ensuring Australia plays its part. It’s also a global effort, with the space agency supporting Australian organizations by working with partners such as NASA, the European Space Agency, Japan’s JAXA, and others,” the folder accompanying the 2024 coin reads. It’s dark.

A 1 inch (25 mm S) aluminum bromide coin weighs 0.3 ounces (9 grams) and is legal tender for $1. Although it is a collectible item, it is not a limited edition.

This uncirculated coin is also the first commemorative coin to feature the portrait of Charles III on the obverse or obverse.