NASA names Artemis II crew for Moon Mission without lunar landing
NASA announced Monday the crew of four astronauts who’ll fly around the Moon on the Artemis II mission, a critical stepping stone in the agency’s plan to return humans to the lunar surface. But don’t expect any moonwalks just yet.
The mission, scheduled for late 2025, will see the crew orbit the Moon without landing—a test run of systems and procedures that’ll pave the way for actual lunar boots on the ground during Artemis III. It’s the first time humans will travel beyond low Earth orbit since the final Apollo mission wrapped up in 1972.
Who’s Going to the Moon
The crew represents a milestone in space exploration diversity. Commander Reid Wiseman will lead the mission alongside pilot Victor Glover, who becomes the first person of color assigned to a lunar mission. Mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen round out the team, with Koch set to be the first woman to travel to the Moon and Hansen becoming the first Canadian ever assigned to a lunar flight.
All four bring serious credentials. Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 328 days. Glover piloted the Crew-1 Dragon mission to the International Space Station. Wiseman logged 165 days aboard the ISS during his previous mission.
What They’ll Actually Do Up There
The 10-day Artemis II mission won’t include a lunar landing, but that doesn’t make it any less critical. The crew will test the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems, navigation, and communication capabilities with humans aboard—something that wasn’t possible during the uncrewed Artemis I flight in late 2022.
They’ll loop around the Moon, venturing roughly 230,000 miles from Earth.
“This crew will be testing every system, every procedure, and every contingency we’ve developed,” said a NASA official during the announcement. “Their mission ensures we can safely land astronauts on the Moon during Artemis III.”
The Road Ahead
Artemis II’s success is crucial for NASA’s timeline. The agency aims to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole during Artemis III, currently targeted for 2026, though that date’s already slipped several times due to technical challenges with SpaceX’s Starship lunar lander and development delays with the spacesuits.
Yet the program’s momentum is building. With Artemis I’s successful uncrewed test complete and now a crew assigned, NASA’s moon-return plan is becoming increasingly real. The question isn’t whether humans will walk on the Moon again—it’s simply when.
