NASA Announces Crew for 2024 Moon Mission

NASA announced its astronaut crew of the Artemis II mission in Houston, Texas, on April 3, including the first woman and the first person of color to fly to the moon.

The Artemis II crew includes commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. It will mark the first crew bound for the moon in more than 50 years.

Koch previously set a record aboard the International Space Station for the single longest mission by a woman, at 328 days, according to media reports. Glover was the first Black astronaut to serve on a space station crew in 2021.

Targeted for launch in late 2024, the crew are set to lift off on the approximately 10-day mission aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be the first time both the capsule and booster will fly with astronauts aboard, according to NASA.

Footage shows NASA administrator Bill Nelson announcing the Artemis II crew in Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center. Credit: NASA via Storyful

Video transcript

BILL NELSON: She's an engineer who got her start at Goddard and is no stranger to breaking records, logging the longest continuous spaceflight ever by a woman, your mission specialist, Christina Hammock Koch.

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He is a master of science in physics and F-18 pilot and a Canadian astronaut, your mission specialist, Jeremy Hansen.

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He's a naval aviator and test pilot that's flown over 40 different aircraft, most recently the first operational commercial crew mission, your Artemis II pilot, Victor Glover.

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He's a decorated naval aviator, test pilot, and leader of the highest character, your Artemis II commander, Reid Wiseman.

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Ladies and gentlemen, your Artemis II crew.

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