Viking’s fifth ocean ship has been named during a ceremony in Italy.

The 930-guest Viking Orion takes its name from the constellation and in honour of NASA astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher’s work on the Orion exploration vehicle project.

“Today is a proud day for the entire Viking family. Just three years ago we launched our first ocean ship, and now we are welcoming our fifth ship, whose name was selected to honour both the original Viking explorers who used the constellations for long-distance navigation, as well as the great space explorers of our time,” said Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking.

“We are grateful for Dr. Fisher’s many contributions to the scientific community, and we are humbled that she is godmother to Viking Orion. The spirit of exploration is at the heart of the Viking way of travel, and we look forward to welcoming guests onboard our newest ship, which has been designed to offer opportunities for learning about the great history of space exploration.”

The Orion includes the Explorers’ Dome, a planetarium-like theatre where guests can watch films about exploration, and the Explorations in Space Collection, which pays tribute to travel beyond earth. In addition, Orion will be the first ship in the fleet to host a resident astronomer, Howard Parkin, a Royal Astronomical Society Fellow, who will give lectures and stargazing sessions onboard.

During her NASA career, which spanned more than three decades, Dr. Fisher contributed to the Space Shuttle programme, the International Space Station and Orion, NASA’s new crew-rated exploration spacecraft. Prior to her retirement in April 2017, she was also the oldest active American astronaut.