The Golden Records described in the movie were placed on both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes launched in 1977. They are still traveling, and now, more than 40 years later, have already entered interstellar space.
The competition to choose the child will send the message is pure invention, in reality it was Carl Sagan's 6 year old son Nick who gave the famous greeting: "Hello from the children of planet Earth".
This is the second collaboration between Allison Janney and McKenna Grace. They portrayed mother and daughter in I, Tonya (2017).
The young actresses who portray the members of Troop Zero underwent a "boot camp" to prepare for their roles. They learned scout skills, bonded as a troop, and developed a genuine camaraderie on and off-screen.