U.S. Mint Sends 2026 Semiquincentennial Coins to Space

Selected 2026 U.S. circulating coins honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary launched Friday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a mission to the International Space Station.

The coins lifted off Friday, May 15, at 6:05 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch was part of NASA’s 34th SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-34), or CRS-34, carrying science, supplies and equipment to the orbiting laboratory.

U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis attended the launch at Cape Canaveral, where the coins began their trip to space aboard the Dragon spacecraft. NASA said Dragon carried nearly 6,500 pounds of cargo for the station’s Expedition 74 crew.

What Coins Were Sent to Space

The Mint identified eight coins making the trip to the station:

• 1 nickel — 1776 ~ 2026 Jefferson nickel
• 1 dime — 1776 ~ 2026 Emerging Liberty dime
• 1 half dollar — 1776 ~ 2026 Enduring Liberty half dollar
• 5 quarters — one 1776 ~ 2026 Semiquincentennial quarter for each design: Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Gettysburg Address

Several of the 2026 circulating designs represented by the space-bound coins have already entered circulation.

The Mint’s first wave of 2026 Semiquincentennial shipments included the dual-dated nickel, Emerging Liberty dime, Enduring Liberty half dollar and Mayflower Compact quarter, while the Revolutionary War quarter followed in March.

The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Gettysburg Address quarters remain scheduled for release later in the year.

These coins represent the Mint’s one-year-only circulating designs for 2026, created for the Semiquincentennial. The Emerging Liberty dime and Enduring Liberty half dollar temporarily replace the familiar Roosevelt dime and Kennedy half dollar, while the five quarters highlight major themes tied to the nation’s founding and history.

The Jefferson nickel retains its familiar designs but carries the dual date “1776 ~ 2026” for the anniversary year.

Space-Flown Coin History

The 2026 flight adds the Semiquincentennial issues to a broader history of U.S. coins carried beyond Earth. For example, in 1999, 12 2000-W Proof Sacagawea dollars struck in 22-karat gold flew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, traveling about 1.8 million miles over roughly 80 Earth orbits. Seven of those space-flown coins later sold in 2025 for prices ranging from $360,001 to $550,001.

NASA said Dragon was scheduled to dock autonomously with the forward port of the station’s Harmony module at about 7 a.m. EDT on Sunday, May 17. The spacecraft is expected to remain at the station until mid-June before returning to Earth with research and cargo for splashdown off the California coast.

Along with crew supplies, CRS-34 is carrying several science investigations, including research on how well Earth-based simulators mimic microgravity, a wood-based bone scaffold that could aid treatments for conditions such as osteoporosis, and equipment to study red blood cell and spleen changes in space. Other payloads include instruments to study charged particles around Earth, planet formation, and sunlight reflected by Earth and the Moon.

The Mint announced the flight on its Facebook page, though it has not yet said whether the coins will remain aboard the station, return to Earth, or be used in a later display or presentation.