First look at space shuttle, Mission Control 2025 dollar coins from US Mint

The space shuttle and International Space Station are set to launch onto dollar coins in celebration of the advancements made by two states.

The United States Mint has released the designs of the Florida and Texas entries in the American Innovation $1 Coin Program. The coins are among the four to be released in 2025, as the series enters its eighth out 16 years.

“The mint works with the office of the governor or other chief executive for each state, territory or city, along with subject matter experts, to determine design concepts emblematic of innovation that are significant and meaningful to its jurisdiction and/or its role in the nation,” read the mint’s announcement of the new designs. “Once the Secretary of the Treasury approves the design concepts, the designs are developed and reviewed.”

The obverse, or heads-side, which is common to all of the coins in the American Innovation series, features the Statue of Liberty in profile. Created by artist Craig Campbell, the obverse also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation.

Florida’s dollar, to be released this spring, commemorates NASA’s 30-year space transportation system on its reverse (or tail’s side). All 135 missions launched from the state’s Cape Canaveral, with almost half landing there, as well.

“This design presents an image of a NASA space shuttle lifting off from Launch Complex 39 at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Smoke from the solid rocket boosters fills the lower edges of the design with stars in background,” read the mint’s description.

The design closely matches one of the nine concepts that the mint’s artists began with and which was preferred by both the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) in reviews held last year. The final version adds the initials of the designer, Ron Sanders and the sculptor Eric Custer.

The coin retains the original proposed style for the stars behind the shuttle, which at one reviewer found to be “a little odd” and recommended they be changed.

Texas chose Mission Control for its dollar, a theme that proved to be more of a challenge for the mint’s artists to represent. The members of the CFA rejected all nine original ideas, asking for new and revised versions to be submitted.

The CCAC opted for one of two designs showing the interior of the control center at Johnson Space Center in Houston. In the end, neither panel’s advice was taken by the Secretary of the Treasury.

“This design features an American astronaut conducting a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. The image represents the culmination of the Mission Control Center’s economic, logistical and intellectual support for NASA’s human space program, as well as its support of astronauts from the many countries that participate in the International Space Station program,” read the mint’s release.

The design appears to be based on separate reference photos for the astronaut and the space station, as the earlier appears to be far off the latter without a tether connecting the two. (If so, it is ironic, because it is scenario that Mission Control would never allow happen.)

Sanders is again credited as the designer, with mint medallic artist John McGraw the sculptor.

Texas’ coin is set to go on sale this summer. Release dates for both coins have yet to be announced.

Both states’ dollars will be struck at the mint’s Philadelphia and Denver facilities. They will initially be sold as uncirculated coins in rolls of 25 and bags of 100 for $36.95 and $123.50, respectively.

The Florida and Texas coins are the fourth and fifth in the American Innovation series to focus on space themes. The first, issued for Delaware in 2019, honored astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, who invented a system for classifying the stars that is still in use today. A year later, the mint released Maryland’s coin, which celebrated the Hubble Space Telescope.

In 2024, the mint released Alabama’s coin honoring the Saturn V rocket that lofted the first astronauts to the moon.