American Girl has unveiled its 2018 girl of the year doll and she has her sights set on space via Alabama.

Luciana Vega is an 11-year-old "aspiring astronaut who dreams of being the first person to go to Mars," the company said. She is the first character that's "really immersed in STEM," said Rebecca Dekuiper, a designer at American Girl.

"We've had STEM products before, but we really wanted to do a whole character to show girls that STEM is cool," Dekuiper said.

American Girl worked with NASA astronaut Dr. Megan McArthur Behnken, NASA's manager of strategic alliance Maureen O'Brien and former NASA chief scientists Dr. Ellen Stofan as it was creating the doll. It also worked with Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.

The Space and Rocket Center will play a pivotal role in Luciana's story. A three-book series about her character will follow Luciana as she wins a scholarship to attend Space Camp in Huntsville and as she becomes an astronaut trainee. Among the accessories available with Luciana will be a flight suit, a space suit and a Mars habitat.

Luciana will go on sale in stores and online on Jan. 1.