An embroidered patch set celebrating five robotic space missions, including Apollo, Voyager, Cassini, Mars Rovers, Sputnik, Vostok… with even more being planned.
Look, I'm not going to pretend we haven't been here before. We just funded the Giant Leaps series of historic crewed missions a few weeks ago, and before that, our Historic Robotic Space Probe Enamel Pins right here on BackerKit. But there's something missing from the picture, and if you know anything about space history, you've probably already figured it out: the patches.
Every space mission starts with a patch. It's tradition. Sure, the Soviets loved their mission pins, but patches always come first. We've been doing this backwards, and it's time to fix that.
Each of these missions represents the pinnacle of human achievement—and for many of us, they're deeply personal. Apollo didn't just put us on the Moon; it defined an entire generation during the chaos of the 1960s. Voyager's grand tour of the outer planets captured our imagination through the '70s and '80s. The 2000s brought us Cassini's stunning arrival at Saturn and those impossibly durable Mars rovers that just kept going.
And now? We've seen Pluto's face, soft-landed on a speeding comet, and literally changed an asteroid's course by smashing into it. These aren't just missions—they're the moments that remind us what we're capable of when we dare to look up.
Like the pins before, we're launching a series of patches based on our two previous pin collections—which themselves grew out of 17 posters we created between 2014 and 2022. Every single mission was chosen by you through community polls.
Patches Already Produced!
Apollo (just arrived for this campaign!)
The Voyager Program (original produced in 2020, design stays the same)
Cassini / Huygens (original 2022, will be formatted to square for this campaign)
Not yet produced, but already included in this campaign.
These are all mock-ups which will be provided to the production company to produce the proof samples.
Mars Science Lab (Curiosity & Perseverance) This is just a mock-up, but is what will be supplied to the printer to match.
Vostok also a mock-up.
Sputnik another mock-up, but pretty damn on spot.
Space Shuttle another mock-up. Stretch goal added Oct 14!
ISS another mock-up. Stretch goal added Oct 23!
Viking also a mock-up. Stretch goal added Oct 30!
As shown above, we've already produced patches for Voyager, Cassini, and most recently Apollo. All the mission designs exist in our original poster series, but this is the first time we're bringing many of them to life as embroidered patches. See STRETCH GOALS for the list of potential additional missions, we have already added three!
The patches are all detail embroidered. While each patch measurement may vary slightly due to shape, they’re designed to appear uniform as a uniform set. Averaging around 3.5" in size as an overall set.
Apollo with detached velcro mount
Patches in this campaign are 15% off, when funded and produced they will sell at retail prices. So generally a mission patch will be $5.95 here while the retail will sell for $7. Then rewards with multiples save even more.
Apollo iron-on backing detail
We are also offering the option of velcro backed or traditional iron-on. The velcro is shown up top with the mount detached. The one drawback on the velcro is you cannot iron on the velcro mount. It must be sewn because of the nature of velcro… you cannot heat it. The iron-on version is shown above.
Please be aware that shipping is collected at the time of the survey and is not included in the reward level. For an idea of what that should look like:
Shipping rates shown for about 8 ounces by region. A full set of patches are about 3 ounces, but pins (1.2o per), tees (4-9o) and posters (6-9o) are much heavier. EU and UK includes VAT.
My supplier has managed to dodge the worst of the tariff price hikes, so we can keep prices right where we want them. I've already worked with them on the Voyager, Cassini, and Apollo patches—the quality speaks for itself.
We will accept returns for refunds. Often you can write RTS (US only) and drop it back to us in a US postbox to avoid shipping fees. Our envelopes are re-sealable. For any flaws or damaged patches, simply provide image evidence of the damage and we will send out a replacement. In such cases, you will not be required to return the item.
