NASA’s Artemis II mission will send four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon, testing life support and navigation systems. Reed Wiseman is the commander, Victor Glover will be the first Black astronaut in lunar orbit, Christina Koch will be the first woman to reach this far, and Jeremy Hansen will be the first non-American astronaut to travel this far.

The astronauts will conduct experiments to understand how the human body is affected at great distances from Earth. The mission, lasting about 10 days, will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The four Artemis II astronauts are ready for humanity’s return to the Moon after more than 50 years. They will ride the Orion spacecraft atop the giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission will take them on a fast flyby around the Moon and back.

Artemis II will be the first crewed flight without landing, sending astronauts farther than ever while testing life support, navigation, communications, and Orion’s heat shield performance.

For over two years, the astronauts have been training, and since March 18, they entered “quarantine” at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to prepare for launch.

The Crew

Commander Reed Wiseman: The Single-Parent Leader
Born November 11, 1975, in Baltimore, Wiseman’s passion for exploration began in childhood. He studied science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997), earned a master’s in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2006), and studied space systems at the U.S. Navy’s school in California (2008).

He joined the Navy in 1997, participated in missions in the Middle East, and in 2003 trained as a naval pilot. In 2009, he was selected by NASA as one of nine new astronauts. Wiseman served as flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 41 in 2014. He completed over 300 scientific experiments during his 165-day mission, including nearly 13 hours as lead spacewalker.

Widowed in 2020, he considers raising his two daughters as a single parent the greatest challenge and most rewarding phase of his life. He often shares small personal touches, like his daughter secretly putting cookies in his suitcase before a space mission.

Pilot Victor Glover: The “Know-It-All” Who Went From Iraq to the ISS
Born April 30, 1976, in California. Inspired by a shuttle launch at age 10, Glover initially wanted to be a stuntman, police officer, firefighter, or race car driver. He excelled in sports and science in school and studied engineering at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

He joined the Navy, earned the call sign “IKE” (I Know Everything), and flew dozens of aircraft, including F/A-18s over Iraq. He completed a master’s in systems engineering in 2009 and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013, one of eight chosen from 6,300 applicants.

Glover has flown four spacewalks, served as CapCom, and spent 168 days in space during Crew Dragon missions. He emphasizes mentorship, attention to detail, and staying connected to family.

Christina Koch: The Only Woman on the Mission Who Lived at the South Pole
Born January 29, 1977. Koch loved exploration from a young age and pursued science and math studies in high school and university. She worked as an electrical engineer for NASA, participated in Antarctic research, and later joined NOAA.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013, she completed her astronaut training in 2015. She flew her first long-duration mission to the ISS in 2018 and holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman at 328 days. She participated in the first all-women spacewalks and now serves in leadership and technical roles at Johnson Space Center.

Koch emphasizes pursuing meaningful, passion-driven work and aims to help humanity return to the Moon and eventually explore Mars.

Jeremy Hansen: The First Non-American Astronaut to Fly to the Moon, Bringing Pendants for His Family
Born January 27, 1976, in Ontario, Canada. Hansen grew up on a farm, joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets at age 12, and earned his pilot’s wings at 16. He studied space science at Canada’s Royal Military College and became a CF-18 fighter pilot.

Joining the Canadian Space Agency in 2009, Hansen has trained new astronauts at NASA’s Johnson Space Center since 2014. He is married with three children and enjoys sailing, climbing, and mountain biking. Hansen will take four moon-shaped pendants engraved with “Moon and back” for his wife and children, as well as maple syrup and cookies for the mission.

The Artemis II astronauts—Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—are embarking on a historic journey, testing human endurance and spacecraft systems while marking humanity’s first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years.