For the first time in more than 50 years, humans will once again travel beyond low Earth orbit. The Artemis 2 mission will be the first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft around the Moon. Launch is scheduled no earlier than April 1, 2026, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will spend about 10 days in space, traveling approximately 965,000–1,100,000 km on a free-return trajectory.

According to Space.com, the crew includes:

• Reid Wiseman — mission commander, NASA
• Victor Glover — pilot, NASA
• Christina Koch — mission specialist, NASA
• Jeremy Hansen — mission specialist, Canadian Space Agency

Who They Are and What This Mission Means to Them

All four are actively training: spending hours in simulators, rehearsing launch and splashdown, and studying the Orion spacecraft systems and scientific program. But beyond the technical side, the astronauts also speak about the deeper meaning of the mission — for themselves, their countries, and humanity as a whole.

Reid Wiseman (Commander)
Wiseman admitted that now, every time he looks at the Moon at night, he thinks about its far side. He notices phases, shadows from ridges and canyons, and imagines what those barely explored regions look like.

He explained that when he stands on Earth and looks at the Moon, he tries to mentally grasp it in a way he never had before, and that now it is something he thinks about constantly.

He also noted the symbolism in the crew emblem: Earth is depicted in the same composition as in the famous Earthrise image from Apollo 8.

Victor Glover (Pilot)
Glover emphasized the unifying power of the mission. He recalled that after one of his speeches, someone approached him in surprise and asked whether it was really true that humans would be flying to the Moon the following year.

He said that everyone is on this journey together and expressed hope that people would allow themselves to be moved by the moment and, even briefly, feel united simply as human beings.

For him, the splashdown is especially important: when the spacecraft lands in the Pacific Ocean under large parachutes, his wife will finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief. He noted that nothing else matters if that part goes wrong, and that splashdown means everything to him.

Christina Koch (Mission Specialist)
Koch said that the success of the mission is not only due to the four crew members, but also to the vast team behind them.

She explained that the mission is bigger than their crew, that they are standing on the shoulders of others, and that they would not be there without their broader team.

For her, Artemis 2 represents the result of the right decisions made decades ago, which made it possible to assemble an astronaut corps with very diverse backgrounds to tackle the most complex challenges.

Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist)
The Canadian astronaut described mixed emotions in the final days before launch: moments of intense excitement alternating with the realization that time is running short and there is still work to be done.

He said they would see incredible things, and that viewing Earth from the Moon is something extraordinary. He added that it is important for humanity to pause during the mission, look at that view, and reflect on how we can do better here on Earth, noting that people are capable of remarkable achievements when they cooperate.

Hansen hopes the mission will demonstrate that international cooperation is possible — and that together humanity can build rather than destroy.

The Historical Significance of the Flight

Artemis 2 will mark several milestones:

• The first crewed flight of the Orion spacecraft
• The first human mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972
• Victor Glover will become the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit
• Christina Koch will become the first woman to travel to the Moon
• Jeremy Hansen will become the first non-American to take part in such a mission

In Brief

The Artemis 2 crew consists of Reid Wiseman (commander, NASA), Victor Glover (pilot, NASA), Christina Koch (mission specialist, NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist, CSA). In April 2026, they will embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon aboard Orion — the first crewed NASA lunar mission in more than half a century. The astronauts see this mission not only as a technical test, but also as a symbol of human unity, international cooperation, and hope for a better future. The launch is scheduled for April 1, 2026.