FACT-CHECK: Deng Bol not flying to the moon — only his name will

The Kapital Press reported in a Facebook post that Deng Bol Aruai, a South Sudanese, “will be the first citizen of East Africa to fly to the moon for exploration in 2026,” but this is false.

“The Chairman of the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Dr. Deng Bol Aruai will be the first citizen of East Africa to fly to the moon for exploration in 2026. This is a great milestone for South Sudan…,” the page reported on 11 September 2025.

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The “fly to the Moon” language suggested physical travel; the reality is symbolic/public participation via name submission. This has been misunderstood and exaggerated in the media report.

However, he will not be physically flying. Only his name will be included in NASA’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” campaign according to our findings.

Debunking the Claim:

On Facebook, Dr. Deng Bol posted a boarding-pass-style graphic, with the caption: “Excited to share that my name will be flying to the Moon! Thanks to NASA, submitted names will be included on an SD card aboard Orion during the Artemis II mission in 2026. A small step for me, but an incredible honor to be part of humanity’s journey back to the Moon.”

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He did not claim that he himself would travel to the Moon. He stated only that his name would be part of those submitted.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Artemis II mission, scheduled for no later than April 2026, will carry four astronauts already selected and are from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — on a fly-around (lunar orbit) test mission aboard the Orion spacecraft.

As part of the public outreach campaign, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is inviting people worldwide to submit their names to be stored on a memory card (SD card) that will be flown aboard Orion during Artemis II. Participants will receive a virtual boarding pass bearing their name. NASA clearly states that the names will be stored on an SD card aboard Orion, not that the persons submitting their names will physically fly.

The “Send Your Name” program lets millions of people submit their names to go with the mission — but this is not the same as sending people. It’s a symbolic gesture. Boarding passes issued are virtual and commemorative.

Our Verdict:

The ClarityDesk finds a claim by The Kapital Press that Dr. Deng Bol will fly to the Moon to be false. He is not among the astronauts selected for Artemis II. Those positions are filled, and none are from South Sudan. Dr. Deng Bol’s name will be among those sent symbolically into lunar orbit aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission in early 2026, through a public name-submission program. However, he will not be physically travelling to the Moon.

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