Semiquincentennial Coins Blast Off

At 6:05 p.m., a SpaceX Dragon rocket blasted off from Florida and inside were a number of the coins, bound for the International Space Station.

A contingent of U.S. Mint officials was on hand to witness the occasion, which had originally been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 12. Weather caused a pair of delays before the conditions became favorable for the mission to begin. According to a NASA blog on May 17, the rocket and its 6,500 pounds of cargo that included the coins arrived at the space station that morning at 6:37 a.m. EDT.

Eight coins were selected to be a part of the mission, including a trio of designs that had not yet reached circulation on earth. The coin package included a Jefferson nickel, an Emerging Liberty dime, an Enduring Liberty half dollar and one each of the Semiquincentennial quarter dollars with the special one-year design—Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Gettysburg Address. The Declaration of Independence quarter dollar is expected to be released in late June with more to follow in the balance of 2026.

The disposition of the space-flown coins remains unknown. During a May 8 event at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, formerly the New Orleans Mint, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach expressed hope that the coins would be photographed with planet earth in the background for future display.