Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen are the members of the crew.
The four astronauts who will travel around the Moon on Artemis II, the first mission with crew on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis, have been revealed by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
During a gathering on Monday at Ellington Field in Houston, close to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the agencies made the Artemis II crew members public.
“The Artemis II crew is an embodiment of thousands of people who have been working nonstop to take us to the stars. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “This is their crew, this is our crew, and this is humanity’s crew. ”
Each of the astronauts from NASA—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA—Jeremy Hansen has a unique story to tell, but as a group, they stand for our motto, E pluribus unum—out of many, one. For a new generation of star sailors and dreamers—the Artemis Generation—we are ushering in a new era of exploration together.
Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen are the members of the crew. As a team, they will carry out a challenging series of demonstrations during the flight test.
The roughly 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the organization’s potent Space Launch System rocket, validate the systems for sustaining life on board the Orion spacecraft, and demonstrate the skills required for humans to live and work in deep space.
The Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, the minister in charge of the Canadian Space Agency, declared, “We are going back to the moon, and Canada is at the centre of this exciting journey. The fact that a Canadian astronaut will fly on this historic mission is made possible by our long-standing partnership with NASA. I would like to congratulate Jeremy on leading one of the most ambitious human endeavours ever undertaken on behalf of all Canadians.”
“The Artemis programme is not only a pivotal moment in Canada’s space history, but it also serves as a symbol of our two countries’ strong ties of friendship.”
The Artemis II mission will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for long-term human exploration missions to the moon and eventually Mars.
The four astronauts will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years, and they will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all. This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industrial, and academic partnerships, as well as the Artemis Generation.
Wiseman will be making his second trip into space, having previously served as a flight engineer aboard the International Station for Expedition 41 from May through November 2014. Prior to his assignment, Wiseman served as chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 until November 2022.
Glover’s second spaceflight will be as a pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1, which landed on May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. He contributed to scientific investigations and technology demonstrations and participated in four spacewalks.
Koch is making her second flight into space on the Artemis II mission, having served as flight engineer aboard the space station for Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. She set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.
Hansen is making his first flight to space, a colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a former fighter pilot. He holds a Bachelor of Science in space science from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Science in physics from the same institution from 2000.
He was one of two recruits selected by CSA in May 2009 through the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign, has served as Capcom in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson, and became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class.
NASA is proud of the four astronauts chosen for the Artemis II mission, which will explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Through Artemis missions, NASA will collaborate with commercial and international partners and use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.