NASA announces names of four astronauts of Artemis II; know how will they get to moon

As NASA prepares for its first crewed mission in five decades to the moon for unveiling scientific discoveries, reap economic benefits, and above all, for unyielding inspiration for a new generation of explorers, it has named four astronauts at the helm of its landmark mission. The names of the astronauts for the Artemis II moon mission were announced by NASA during a press conference at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 3, from Johnson Space Center’s Ellington Field in Houston.

"It's been more than a half-century since astronauts journeyed to the moon. Well, folks, that's about to change.The mission to the moon will launch four pioneers, but it will carry more than astronauts — Artemis II will carry the hopes of millions of people around the world," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at the conference before he introduced the crew. 

Via Artemis, NASA plans to establish a sustainable presence on the moon; and subsequently for missions to Mars. Artemis astronauts will land in the previously unexplored shadowy regions near the lunar South Pole uncovered by Artemis I in 2025. The crew will travel aboard NASA's foundational deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, and Orion spacecraft. 

The quartet — NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency's [CSA] astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are currently rigorously training to mark the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission which is scheduled to take off in November 2024. They will lift off on the approximately 10-day mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the far side of the Moon, more than 230,000 miles from Earth.

How will they get to the moon?

NASA will build an Artemis Base Camp on the moon's surface and the Gateway in lunar orbit. These elements will allow the robots and astronauts to explore previously unseen regions. Agency’s Artemis Base Camp concept includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover and even a mobile home. Early missions will include short surface stays, but as the base camp evolves, the goal is to allow the crew to stay at the lunar surface for up to two months at a time, NASA explains in a release.

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission (left to right): NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Credit: NASA

"Traveling aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft and launching on the Space Launch System rocket, the mission is the first crewed flight test on the agency’s path to establishing a long-term scientific and human presence on the lunar surface," NASA elaborated in a statement as it unveiled the names of the four astronauts. 

Meet NASA's Artemis II moon mission crew

Selected as the NASA astronaut in 2009, a 47-year-old native of Baltimore, Maryland, Wiseman is a naval aviator and test pilot. In 2014, he completed a spaceflight and a 165-day trip to the International Space Station [ISS] aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket. Wiseman served as the chief of the astronaut office before stepping down from the position in November 2022.

Reid Wiseman. Credit: NASA

Astronaut Victor J. Glover, Jr. previously served as the Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate, as well as the pilot. He was the second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed on May 2, 2021. This was the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station [ISS], according to NASA. Glover, Jr. also served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station [ISS] for Expedition 64 and will be assigned as Pilot of NASA’s Artemis II mission.

"Artemis II is more than a mission to the moon and back," Glover said in a statement about the historic moon mission.

"It's more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars. ... And this crew will never forget that," he added.

Astronaut Victor J. Glover. Credit: NASA

NASA's Christina Hammock Koch was selected as the astronaut in 2013. She served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station [ISS] for Expedition 59, 60 and 61, as well as managed to hit the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalks. According to NASA, Koch will be assigned as Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission.

Christina Hammock Koch. Credit: NASA

Christina Hammock Koch. Credit: NASA

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen is selected to fly to the Moon on the Artemis II mission. He will be the first crewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft launching on the SLS rocket and the first Canadian to ever venture to the Moon. Colonel Hansen completed his CF-18 Fighter Pilot Training at 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron in 2003. He served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with 441 Tactical Fighter Squadron and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron as well as the Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing Operations. 

Hansen has also been a crewmember of NEEMO 19, where he lived and worked on the ocean floor in the Aquarius habitat off Key Largo, Florida, for seven days, simulating deep-space exploration.

"There are two reasons why a Canadian is going to the moon. The first one is American leadership. It is not lost on any of us that the United States could choose to go back to the moon by themselves. But America has made a very deliberate choice over decades to curate a global team," Hansen said as he was introduced at NASA briefing.

The second reason, he continued, was Canada's "can-do attitude."

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Credit: Canadian Space Agency (CSA)