NASA reveals four astronauts for Artemis II — first crewed moon mission in 50 years

NASA has announced its four-member crew for the upcoming lunar mission, making history by including the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Canadian who will return humanity to the Moon after a 50-year hiatus.

The US space agency unveiled its crew for the upcoming Artemis II mission, during a ceremony held in Houston, Texas on Monday.

Among the chosen space travelers are Christina Koch and Victor Glover, who will become the first woman and first black astronaut, respectively, to be assigned to a lunar mission. The two will join Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in piloting a capsule around the Moon either late next year or early in 2025.

“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals — the Artemis II crew — will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon,” Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center, said in a statement.

In 2024, the second launch of the Artemis program will take place, as part of a multinational effort to establish a “long-term presence on the moon”. This marks only the second time that a manned crew will venture near the moon since 1972, during NASA’s Apollo program.

Though they will not land on the Moon, their mission will pave the way for subsequent crews to touch down on the lunar surface.

The newly selected astronauts will now begin an intense period of training to prepare for their historic mission. With this selection, NASA delivers on its promise to bring greater diversity and inclusivity to its exploration efforts as the previous crewed missions to the Moon were exclusively manned by white men.

About the team

“The Artemis-2 crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew,” said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson.

The details of the crew members are given below:

1. Reid Wiseman, aged 47, is a former US Navy pilot who previously held the position of head of NASA’s astronaut office. He has already completed one space mission in 2015, flying to the International Space Station.
2. Victor Glover, aged 46, is a US Navy test pilot who joined NASA in 2013. He completed his first spaceflight in 2020, during which he became the first African American to spend an extended period of six months on the International Space Station.
3. Christina Koch, aged 44, is an electrical engineer who set the record for the longest continuous time spent in space by a woman, totaling 328 days. In October 2019, she participated in the first all-female spacewalk alongside NASA astronaut Jessica Meir.
4. Jeremy Hansen (47): Before joining the Canadian Space Agency, he was a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He has yet to fly in space.