— At the same time that millions of Americans will be looking up to see the moon eclipse the Sun, the United States Mint will be releasing for sale a golden dollar coin celebrating the innovative rocket that launched the first people to cast shadows on the lunar surface.

The new Alabama American Innovation $1 coin honors NASA's Apollo-era Saturn V rocket and the state where it was designed and built. Rolls and bags of the non-circulating legal tender coins go on sale on Monday (April 8) at noon EDT (1600 GMT), just as the path of totality for the solar eclipse begins to cross over the west coast of Mexico, beginning its span over North America. (The timing of the coin's release coinciding with the solar eclipse was coincidental.)

"We are proud to now see the Saturn V rocket displayed on this coin and are honored to have Alabama and her people represented in this special, commemorative way," said Kay Ivey, the state's governor, in a statement released by the mint. "Alabama is a state of innovators, and the Saturn V rocket perfectly exemplifies that."

"It was Alabamians who helped put man on the moon, and today, we remain committed to ensuring our country is not only on the forefront of space exploration, but innovation in all areas," said Ivey.

Today, one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets is displayed at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, adjacent a vertical full-size mockup of the 363-foot (110-meter) historic moon booster.

Monday's sale of the Alabama American Innovation $1 coin is limited to 25-coin rolls and 100-coin bags from the mint's Philadelphia (P) or Delaware (D) facilities. Rolls cost $34.50 each and bags are $117.50. There is a household limit of 10 of each roll or bag.

Orders can be placed through the mint's website or by calling 800-USA-MINT. Rolls and bags may also be available at the U.S. Mint headquarters' coin store in Washington, D.C. and from the gift shops at the Philadelphia and Denver facilities.

The U.S. Mint's American Innovation program comprises a multi-year series of golden dollar coins that depict examples of ingenuity from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. territories. Alabama's coin is 23rd to be released since the program began in 2018.

"I am pleased to announce the release of the American Innovation $1 coin for the state of Alabama," said Ventris Gibson, director of the mint. "The Saturn V rocket, designed and built at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama was initially developed to support the Apollo program for human exploration of the Moon. We are honored to celebrate this major achievement with this coin."

The coin's reverse design features a Saturn V rocket lifting off as it eclipses part of the moon in the background. Inscribed alongside the booster, running vertically across the moon, is "Saturn V." Along the top border is "United States of America" and at the bottom right, below the plume from the rocket, is "Alabama."

Medallic artist Craig Campbell designed and sculpted the tails-side image.

The heads-side art is common to all of the coins in the American Innovation series. The Statue of Liberty is depicted in profile with the inscriptions "In God We Trust" and "$1." A privy mark in the shape of a stylized gear completes the design, representing industry and innovation.

Artistic Infusion Program designer Justin Kunz created the obverse design, which Mint medallic artist Phebe Hemphill sculpted.

Along the coin's edge are 2024, the mint mark and "E Pluribus Unum" (Latin for "Out of Many, One").

Alabama's coin is the third in the program to feature a space or astronomy theme. 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 celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope.

Two more space exploration innovations — NASA's space shuttle program and mission control — will be recognized on the Florida and Texas dollars in 2025.