The four astronauts selected for the Artemis II mission are set to become the first humans to travel to the Moon’s vicinity in more than five decades, marking a defining moment in modern space exploration.
The crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will embark on a 10-day journey that will take them around the Moon and back, without landing on its surface.
Beyond the mission itself, the crew reflects a more diverse and representative era of spaceflight, including the first woman, the first person of colour and the first non-American to take part in a lunar mission, a notable shift from the Apollo program era.
Reid Wiseman: Mission commander
At 50, Wiseman leads the mission as commander. A former US Navy officer, he joined NASA in 2009 and flew a 165-day mission aboard the International Space Station in 2014. He later served as chief of the astronaut office.
Reflecting on his journey, Wiseman once said, “I never thought I’d be an astronaut… it’s like an unobtainable dream.” After losing his wife in 2020, he has raised his two daughters on his own and has spoken candidly about preparing them for the risks of spaceflight.
Victor Glover: Pilot
Victor Glover, 49, will serve as pilot of the Orion spacecraft. A Navy veteran and father of four, he joined NASA in 2013 after working as a legislative advisor in the US Senate.
Inspired by watching a Space Shuttle launch as a child, Glover said, “I really want to drive one of those.” He will become the first Black astronaut and first person of colour, to travel to the Moon. In 2020, he also became the first African American to undertake a long-duration mission aboard the ISS.
Christina Koch: Mission specialist
Christina Koch, 47, will become the first woman to travel to the Moon. An engineer and seasoned explorer, she has worked in extreme environments including Antarctica.
Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 328 days and was part of the first all-woman spacewalk. Inspired by the iconic Earthrise image from Apollo 8, she has long aspired to spaceflight. Her personal motto: “Do what scares you.”
Jeremy Hansen: Mission specialist
Jeremy Hansen, 50, of the Canadian Space Agency, will be the first non-American to travel to the Moon’s vicinity. A former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, he joined the agency in 2009.
The mission will be Hansen’s first journey into space, fulfilling a lifelong dream sparked by seeing an image of Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface. A father of three, Hansen has also played a key role in training new astronauts.
