Artemis II and Its Crew
- Julianna Covarrubias
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis flight that launched on April 1st, 2026 and returned to Earth just off the San Diego coast on April 10th, marked a key step toward long-term return to the Moon and future missions into space. The 10 day mission around the moon was not only the first crewed Artemis flight, but NASA’s first crew lunar flyby in over 50 years!
Artemis II consisted of four crewmates, including Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor J. Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. These four paved the way for long-term exploration along the lunar surface, successfully marking a trip 4,600 miles beyond the Moon.
Our commander, Reid Wiseman, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009. Wiseman previously flew as a flight engineer aboard the International Station for Expedition 41 from May to November 2014, totaling 165 days in space. Including the 10 day journey that took the crew 252,756 miles from home, he has spent a total of 175 days in space.
Reid Wiseman waves to family and friends as he and his crew prepare to depart the Nile A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout building.
Our pilot Victor J. Glover was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. He has previously served as the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station in Expedition 64. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 landed on May 2, 2021, after an astonishing 168 days in space. At the time of his recruitment in 2013 as a NASA astronaut, Glover was serving in the US Senate as a Legislative Fellow. Since that time, he has completed four spacewalks!
On November 8th, 2024, Pilot Victor J. Glover took photos with employees at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The employees help support the Exploration Ground Systems Program to help NASA send astronauts to the Moon and back.
Our Mission Specialist, Christina Koch, was also selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 and served as a flight engineer onboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 59, 60, and 61. Koch has set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space! She has also played a crucial role in the first all-female spacewalks. During the first all-woman spacewalk, Koch and fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir ventured into the vacuum of space for 7 hours and 17 minutes to swap a failed battery charge-discharge unit. Koch serves as an inspiration for women around the world!
Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch is seen exiting the Orion spacecraft mock-up during Post Insertion and Deorbit Preparation Training.
Our second Mission Specialist, Jeremy Hansen, is a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, and became the first Canadian to ever venture to the Moon! From London, Ontario, Colonel Hansen completed CF-18 Fighter Pilot Training in 2003, later becoming one of two recruits selected by the CSA in 2009 and assigned to the Artemis II mission in 2023. In 2017, Hansen became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class, leaving him in charge of training the next generation of astronaut candidates from the U.S. and Canada.
Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the Artemis II test flight. Hansen is holding the Moon Mascot, Rise, which is the zero gravity indicator that flew on the Artemis II test flight.
With their safe arrival, these four exceptional individuals have contributed substantially to space exploration and research, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The Artemis II Crew really is too cool.
Artemis II Crew stand in the white room on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated ground systems test at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.
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