NASA is preparing for a big return to deep space with the Artemis II mission. This groundbreaking flight will send four astronauts on a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon, the first crewed mission outside low Earth orbit in more than 50 years. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Kochand Jeremy Hansen They make up the historic crew, each bringing years of experience and unique backgrounds to the mission. Together, they will help test NASA’s Orion spacecraft and pave the way for future lunar landings.
Learn more about the astronauts leading this important mission below.
Reid Wiseman
Weissman is a veteran NASA astronaut and commander of Artemis II. A former naval aviator and engineer, he previously spent about six months aboard the International Space Station in 2014. He also served as chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office, where he helped oversee astronaut training and mission assignments.
On Artemis 2, he will lead the crew on a roughly 10-day mission, directing operations as they travel beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in more than 50 years.
Victor Glover
Glover is a NASA astronaut and captain in the US Navy who will serve as pilot of Artemis 2. A decorated test pilot, he previously flew on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission and became the first Black astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station on a long-duration mission.
In Artemis II, he will play a key role in operating the Orion spacecraft and help guide the mission as it ventures deeper into deep space than any human flight in decades.
Christina Koch
Koch is a NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist. She holds the record for the longest space flight by a woman, having spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station. During that mission, she also participated in the first all-female spacewalk.
On Artemis 2, she will support spacecraft systems and experiments, and is set to become the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit and fly around the Moon.
Jeremy Hansen
Hansen is a Canadian astronaut working for the Canadian Space Agency and a former fighter pilot. As the Artemis II mission specialist, this will be his first trip into space.
He is set to become the first Canadian — and one of the first non-Americans — to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the moon, highlighting the international cooperation behind the mission.
