NASA Announces Astronaut Crew Who Will Return to the Moon in 2024

We’re going back to the Moon!

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission kicks off in 2024, and four astronauts will travel to the moon, perform a lunar flyby, and then return to earth.

While not as sexy as landing on the moon (happening in 2025), the flyby is still a hugely important step, a critical test flight of the systems. The astronauts chosen for the mission will be the first to make the journey since the the Apollo missions, marking human’s return to the moon.

The crew for this ambitious mission was announced this week, and it includes a Canadian, a person of color, and a woman, representing a much more diverse team than in the Apollo days.

The crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. They will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test.

“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. Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all,” said Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson. “This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”