Canadians on the Moon!
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, TEXAS – Earlier today, NASA announced the four astronauts that will be flying around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed launch and flight of both the SLS rocket, and the Orion capsule, and the second launch of the Artemis program (Click here to learn more about the first flight, Artemis I). Notably, Artemis II will not only mark the first time a woman and a person of colour fly around the moon, but also the first time a Canadian will fly around the moon (I am a bit biased, being Canadian myself).
The Astronauts (In Order of Rank)
Reid Wiseman
Mission Commander
Reid Wiseman was announced as the Artemis II mission commander. Wiseman is an American astronaut from Baltimore, Maryland. To date, he has flown to space once, aboard the Soyuz vehicle on the TMA-13M mission, serving as a flight engineer, and until November of 2022, served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office, at NASA. Before his service to NASA, however, he served as a test pilot for the U.S. Navy.
Victor Glover
Mission Pilot
Victor Glover was announced as the Artemis II mission pilot. Glover is an American astronaut from Pomona, California. To date, he has flown to space once aboard SpaceX’s notable first operational crewed mission, Crew-1. Glover will be the first black astronaut to fly to the Moon. Like Wiseman, Glover also has a military history, beginning his service to the U.S. Navy in 1999.
Jeremy R. Hansen
Mission Specialist
Jeremy R. Hansen was announced as an Artemis II mission specialist. Hansen is a Canadian astronaut from London, Ontario. Artemis II will mark Hansen’s first time in space, and will also mark the first non-American astronaut to fly to the Moon. Hansen has a long career with the Royal Canadian Air Force, and currently bears the rank of Colonel.
Christina H. Koch
Mission Specialist
Christina H. Koch was announced as an Artemis II mission specialist. Koch is an American astronaut from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Artemis II will mark her second time in space, and the first woman to fly to the Moon. She has flown once on Soyuz MS-12, returning back to Earth on Soyuz MS-13. Unlike the other three astronauts to fly to the Moon, Koch does not have a military career, however has a distinguished career with NASA, holding the record for the longest continuous time in space by a woman, and being apart of the first all-female spacewalk.
Countdown to Artemis II
Artemis II is currently scheduled to launch some time in November, 2024, however it is likely that this date will slip into 2025, as delays are not uncommon within the Artemis program. Regardless, this announcement gets us one step closer to returning humans to the Moon for good, and as excitement for future lunar missions is only getting stronger, the next few years are sure to be historic and significant as humanity gets closer and closer to Mars.
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