NASA announced on Monday the names of the first woman and the first African American man chosen as part of a team of four astronauts for the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. The agency has selected Christina Koch, an engineer who holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman. She participated in the first three spacewalks for NASA, all of which involved female crew members. Koch will serve as the mission specialist for Artemis 2, set to launch in early next year.
Victor Glover, a U.S. Navy pilot who has previously completed four spacewalks, was chosen by NASA to be the pilot of the Artemis 2 mission. Glover will be the first Black astronaut ever sent on a mission to the Moon.
Jeremy Hansen, a colonel in the Canadian Air Force and the first Canadian ever selected for a Moon mission, was selected as a mission specialist. Reid Wiseman, another former Navy fighter pilot, has been named the commander of Artemis 2.
The three NASA astronauts selected for the Artemis 2 mission have participated in previous missions aboard the International Space Station, while Hansen will experience this for the first time. The announcement of the four astronauts was made during an event attended by journalists, local elementary school students, space sector leaders, and broadcast live from the Johnson Space Center, NASA's mission control base in Houston.
The mission is scheduled to launch in 2024.
