NASA Artemis II Astronauts: Meet the Crew Who Flew Around the Moon

Short answer

• The Artemis II astronauts are NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, NASA Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. They flew a nearly 10-day lunar flyby aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft from April 1 to 10, 2026, traveling 252,756 miles from Earth, the farthest any humans have ever gone. It was the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

In April 2026, four astronauts left Earth and did something no humans had done in more than half a century: they flew to the vicinity of the Moon. Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed test flight in the Artemis campaign, carried the crew around the Moon’s far side and back without landing, a nearly 10-day flight test that checked out NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket with people aboard. Along the way, the crew set a record for the greatest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, and the mission carried several history-making firsts, including the first woman and the first Black astronaut assigned to a lunar mission, and the first non-American.

This guide covers who the four astronauts are, how they were chosen, what they did on the flight, and where they are now, all verified against NASA and the Canadian Space Agency. All mission dates and statuses are current as of October 2026.

The Artemis II crew at a glance

Role	Astronaut	Agency	Spaceflight before Artemis II
Commander	Reid Wiseman	NASA	ISS Expedition 40/41 (2014)
Pilot	Victor Glover	NASA	ISS Expedition 64/65 (2020-2021)
Mission Specialist	Christina Koch	NASA	ISS Expeditions 59/60/61 (2019-2020)
Mission Specialist	Jeremy Hansen	Canadian Space Agency	Rookie (first spaceflight)

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced the crew on April 3, 2023, at an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Then-NASA Administrator Bill Nelson introduced them with a phrase that stuck: “This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew.”

The mission they flew

Artemis II was a test flight, not a landing. Its job was to confirm that Orion’s life support, propulsion, power, navigation and communication systems all work with a crew aboard in deep space, and to give the crew practice in the operations that the later Artemis missions will need. NASA described it as the first crewed flight of its Orion spacecraft, the follow-up to the uncrewed Artemis I test flight.

The mission launched at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on the Space Launch System rocket. With 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, the SLS carried the crew aboard Orion (which the crew had named Integrity) into orbit. After checks in Earth orbit, including a manual piloting demonstration in which the crew flew Orion around the rocket’s spent upper stage, the spacecraft fired its main engine for the translunar injection burn and headed for the Moon.

The crew swung around the Moon’s far side, passing within a few thousand miles of the surface (NASA’s pre-flight plan allowed 4,000 to 6,000 miles, depending on the launch date), and came home on a free-return trajectory, a path in which Earth’s gravity naturally pulls the spacecraft back without major engine burns. On April 6, at their farthest point, the crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking the record for the greatest distance humans have traveled in space. The previous record had been set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT on April 10, 2026, where NASA and U.S. Navy teams recovered the capsule and the crew. All told, the mission covered about 694,481 miles in just under 10 days. It was the first time humans had traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

The spacecraft: Orion and the Space Launch System

Artemis II flew on the most powerful rocket NASA had ever launched successfully: the Space Launch System, which produced 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Atop the rocket rode the Orion spacecraft, whose crew module the four astronauts named Integrity.

The flight profile was designed to prove Orion piece by piece. With the crew aboard, Orion and the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage first orbited Earth twice while controllers and the crew verified the spacecraft’s systems close to home. Then the crew used the spent upper stage as a target for a proximity operations demonstration, taking Orion into manual mode and piloting its flight path and orientation, practice for the rendezvous and docking work that later Artemis missions will require.

On the way home, Orion’s service module, which carried the engines used for the mission’s burns, separated from the crew module and burned up in the atmosphere. The crew module’s heat shield then carried the astronauts through reentry, where superheated plasma around the spacecraft reached about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Two 23-foot drogue parachutes slowed the capsule before three 116-foot-wide main parachutes brought it down to about 17 mph for splashdown. NASA and U.S. Navy teams recovered the crew and the spacecraft from the Pacific.

How the crew prepared

The crew was announced on April 3, 2023, nearly three years before launch, and spent those years training as a team. Their preparation included geology training in Iceland’s volcanic terrain, where they practiced navigation and field geology, collecting rock samples with hammers, scoops and chisels, the same kind of work future Artemis crews will do on the lunar surface.

They also trained extensively in the Orion Crew Survival System, the bright orange pressure suits worn inside Orion during launch and reentry. Each suit is custom-fitted and carries systems for air, water, food and waste management, and can sustain life for up to six days in an emergency. The crew practiced suit operations in simulated weightlessness and pressurized environments, along with emergency procedures, manual piloting and the mission’s science program.

Reid Wiseman: Commander

Reid Wiseman, a Baltimore native, was the commander of Artemis II, responsible for the overall mission and its crew. A former U.S. Navy captain and test pilot, Wiseman brought both leadership and deep-spaceflight experience to the role.

Wiseman was commissioned through the Navy’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1997 with a degree in computer and systems engineering. He became a naval aviator in 1999 and flew the F-14 Tomcat, deploying twice to the Middle East in support of Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 2004 and worked as a test pilot on programs including the F-35 Lightning II, F-18 weapons separation and the T-45 Goshawk, later flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet with Strike Fighter Squadron 103. He later earned a master’s degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

NASA selected Wiseman in June 2009 as one of nine members of its 20th astronaut class. He launched to the International Space Station on May 29, 2014, aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, serving as flight engineer for Expedition 40/41. The 165-day mission included more than 300 scientific experiments, two spacewalks (with almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker), and a record 82 hours of research in a single week in July 2014. Wiseman then served as chief of the Astronaut Office from 2020 through 2022, the senior leadership position for NASA’s active astronauts.

As commander of Artemis II, Wiseman led the crew through the first crewed flight of Orion. Across his two spaceflights, he has spent a total of 175 days in space. In September 2026, Wiseman transitioned to emeritus status at NASA, a role in which veteran astronauts volunteer their time to train and mentor the current workforce.

Victor Glover: Pilot

Victor Glover, born in Pomona, California, served as pilot of Artemis II, responsible for flying Orion, including the manual piloting demonstrations. He is the first Black astronaut ever assigned to a lunar mission.

Glover earned an undergraduate engineering degree from California Polytechnic State University, where he was a two-sport athlete, and served as a naval aviator and test pilot. He flew the F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, accumulating over 4,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, more than 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions. When NASA selected him in 2013 as one of eight members of its 21st astronaut class, he was serving as a Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Senate.

Glover’s first spaceflight was as pilot of SpaceX’s Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, which launched November 16, 2020. It was the first post-certification operational flight of Crew Dragon to the International Space Station, and Glover served as flight engineer for Expedition 64/65 during the 168-day mission, completing four spacewalks. That flight made him the first Black American astronaut to live aboard the ISS for a full-duration mission.

On Artemis II, Glover became the pilot of the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo era. After the mission, in September 2026, Glover transitioned to NASA emeritus status. He took a leadership role at his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, effective September 1, 2026, the same day he retired from the Navy, while continuing to support NASA’s moon exploration program as an emeritus advisor.

Christina Koch: Mission Specialist

Christina Koch served as mission specialist on Artemis II, responsible for science and systems work during the flight. She is the first woman ever assigned to a lunar mission.

Koch was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. She earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University, and worked as an electrical engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center developing scientific instruments for space missions. Before joining the astronaut corps, she also carried out remote scientific field engineering in Antarctica and the Arctic.

Koch spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station as flight engineer for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. During that mission she participated in the first all-female spacewalks, alongside NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, and contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical science and technology development. She later served as branch chief of the Assigned Crew Branch in NASA’s Astronaut Office.

On Artemis II, Koch tested Orion’s life support systems and carried out the flight’s science program. As of September 2026, she is the only member of the Artemis II crew still on active astronaut status at NASA.

Jeremy Hansen: Mission Specialist

Jeremy Hansen, the fourth crew member, flew as a mission specialist on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. A colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and former CF-18 fighter pilot, Hansen became the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to take part in a lunar mission.

Hansen was selected by the CSA in its 2009 astronaut recruitment campaign and completed astronaut candidate training in 2011. He served as a CF-18 fighter pilot with 441 and 409 Tactical Fighter Squadrons and as a Combat Operations Officer at 4 Wing Operations before joining Canada’s astronaut corps. At NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, he worked as capcom, the voice between the ground and the International Space Station.

His training included the European Space Agency’s CAVES program in 2013, where he lived underground for six days, and NASA’s NEEMO 19 underwater mission in 2014, where he lived and worked on the ocean floor in the Aquarius habitat for seven days. In 2017, he became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class. Artemis II, his assignment in 2023, was his first spaceflight.

In July 2026, the Government of Canada recognized Hansen’s career and announced that he would pursue new professional opportunities beginning in September 2026, ending his time as an active CSA astronaut while continuing to serve as a reservist with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Records and firsts

Artemis II was built for testing, but it also wrote history in several ways:

• Farthest humans from Earth. The crew’s maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, reached on April 6, set a new record for the greatest distance humans have traveled in space, surpassing Apollo 13’s 1970 record. NASA also reported a total distance traveled of 694,481 miles.
• First crewed lunar mission since Apollo. Artemis II was the first crewed flight to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972, and the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit in more than 53 years.
• First woman on a lunar mission. Mission specialist Christina Koch became the first woman assigned to a lunar mission, more than five decades after the all-male Apollo crews.
• First Black astronaut on a lunar mission. Pilot Victor Glover was the first Black astronaut, and the first person of color, to fly beyond low Earth orbit to the vicinity of the Moon.
• First non-American on a lunar mission. Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen was the first Canadian and the first non-American to take part in a lunar mission, flying under the NASA-CSA partnership.
• First crewed flight of Orion. The mission was the first time astronauts flew aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which the crew named Integrity.

The crew also trained in Iceland’s volcanic terrain to practice field geology for future lunar surface missions, trained extensively in the Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits (bright orange, custom-fitted pressure suits worn inside Orion during launch and reentry), and made a historic space-to-space call with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, the first direct communication between a deep-space crew and the station.

How Artemis II fits the Artemis program

Artemis II was the second flight of the Artemis campaign and its first with a crew. Artemis I was an uncrewed flight test of the same Space Launch System and Orion combination; Artemis II repeated that profile with four people aboard to prove the systems that keep a crew alive and working in deep space. NASA’s five stated priorities for the flight were the crew, the systems, the hardware and data returned, emergency operations, and additional subsystem verification.

Everything the mission demonstrated, from life support and radiation sheltering to manual piloting, rendezvous practice and high-speed reentry at lunar return velocities, feeds directly into the next steps of the campaign: later Artemis missions that will land astronauts on the lunar surface and, eventually, support human missions to Mars. The crew’s experience is already being carried forward: as of late 2026, NASA is using the lessons of Artemis II to prepare teams for Artemis III and beyond.

Where the Artemis II astronauts are now

As of October 2026, the crew’s post-mission paths look like this:

• Reid Wiseman transitioned to emeritus status in September 2026. He continues to volunteer his time training and mentoring NASA’s workforce.
• Victor Glover also moved to emeritus status in September 2026, took a leadership role at California Polytechnic State University effective September 1, 2026, and retired from the Navy the same day. He continues to support the moon exploration program as an emeritus advisor.
• Jeremy Hansen left active astronaut duty with the Canadian Space Agency in 2026 (announced July, effective September), pursuing new professional opportunities in Canada while remaining a Royal Canadian Air Force reservist.
• Christina Koch is the only member of the Artemis II crew still on active astronaut rolls at NASA as of September 2026. As reported October 18, 2026, Fox Weather (citing NASA) says Koch will become NASA’s acting deputy chief engineer effective November 1, 2026, moving to “management astronaut status”, which makes her ineligible for future spaceflight assignments.

In August 2026, the crew was honored at a Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the four Artemis II astronauts? Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (all NASA) and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency).

Did Artemis II land on the Moon? No. Artemis II was a lunar flyby: the crew flew around the Moon’s far side and returned to Earth without landing. Landing on the surface is the job of later Artemis missions.

When did Artemis II launch and land? The mission launched April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and splashed down April 10, 2026, at 8:07 p.m. EDT in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, lasting just under 10 days.

How far did Artemis II travel? The crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth at their farthest point, a new human distance record, and traveled 694,481 miles in total.

Who was the first woman on a lunar mission? Christina Koch. She was the first woman ever assigned to a lunar mission, on Artemis II in 2026. Victor Glover was the first Black astronaut on a lunar mission, and Jeremy Hansen was the first Canadian and first non-American.

What did Artemis II test? It tested Orion’s life support, propulsion, power, navigation and communications with a crew aboard, plus manual piloting, emergency procedures, radiation sheltering and deep-space operations, all needed for future lunar landings.

What are the Artemis II astronauts doing now? As of late 2026, Wiseman and Glover are NASA emeritus astronauts (Glover also joined Cal Poly and retired from the Navy), Hansen retired from active CSA astronaut duty, and Koch remains NASA’s only active-duty Artemis II crew member. As reported October 18, 2026, Koch is expected to become NASA’s acting deputy chief engineer effective November 1, 2026, moving to management astronaut status and therefore ineligible for future spaceflight assignments.

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Sources & references

• NASA Artemis II Press Kit (mission overview, crew assignments, mission priorities, flight profile)
• NASA, "Artemis II Mission Milestones: An Image and Video Recap" (launch and splashdown dates, farthest distance, total distance, training and recovery details)
• NASA biography of Reid Wiseman (career, ISS mission, education, emeritus status, Artemis II dates)
• NASA biography of Victor J. Glover Jr. (career, Crew-1, test-pilot background, Artemis II dates)
• NASA biography of Christina H. Koch (selection, ISS mission, record, education, Artemis II role)
• Canadian Space Agency / Government of Canada, "Canada recognizes the career and achievements of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen" (selection, career, retirement, first-Canadian-on-lunar-mission)
• Associated Press (reported September 9, 2026; carried by phys.org), on Wiseman and Glover moving to emeritus status, Glover's Cal Poly role and Navy retirement, Hansen's CSA retirement, Koch as the only crew member on active rolls, and the August 28, 2026 Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony at Johnson Space Center
• Reuters crew factbox (April 2026), on crew backgrounds and the mission's first-woman, first-Black-astronaut and first-Canadian-on-a-lunar-mission firsts, and the April 3, 2023 crew announcement