The next NASA astronauts to visit the Moon were revealed Monday as the US agency prepares for the next stage of its mission to establish a long-term presence there, which could provide a springboard for missions to Mars.
Three NASA astronauts and one Canadian astronaut will crew Artemis II, a mission that will see them circle the Moon in a flight test of NASA’s new Orion spacecraft, according to a press release.
The astronauts who will take charge of the Artemis II mission:
- NASA Commander Reid Wiseman
- NASA pilot Victor Glover
- Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch of NASA
- Mission 2 Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency
Planned for a November 2024 launch, the roughly 10-day mission will mark the first time humans have traveled beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
“This is the crew of humanity,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson declared in a presentation to the astronauts. “Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of dreamers and star navigators: the Artemis Generation.”
Artemis II will be the first manned test of the partially reusable Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft, which successfully completed an unmanned lunar flyby in December during the Artemis I mission.
The mission will be the second spaceflight for the three NASA astronauts and the first for Canada’s Hansen, according to the news release issued by the agency.
Beginning with Artemis III, NASA plans “a regular cadence of crewed Artemis missions to and around the moon,” according to the program’s website.
The ultimate goal is to establish a “long-term presence” on the Moon and work toward a trip to Mars, the website states.
The Artemis II crew announcement follows NASA’s reveal of a new spacesuit designed for long-term use on the Moon. The suits are expected to be used during Artemis III.
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VIDEO: The Orion capsule successfully returned to earth and ends the historic Artemis I mission