Three men and one woman have been selected to work as a team and get to execute the ambitious set of demonstrations during the Artemis flight test. The Artemis II crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen.
“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew” – Bill Nelson, Administrator (NASA)
After a successful Artemis I launch last November, NASA has scheduled the approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques required for humans to both live and work in deep space.
Besides, it also presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnership, as well as the Artemis generation.
Set for November 2024, the flight will be the first to feature a woman and a person of color on the Moon through the Artemis program. The latter aims at paving the way for future long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. This aligns with NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals – the Artemis II crew – will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon. […] All four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all” – Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson
