Ajit Karn
Monday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduced the four astronauts who will participate in the Artemis II lunar mission in 2019.
The four astronauts will now commence training for the November 2024 launch of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby. This will be the first manned mission to the moon in 50 years. Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman of NASA are the astronauts. Media outlets reported that NASA has named the first woman, who is also one of the world’s most experienced spacewalkers and the first African-American astronaut ever designated, making the lunar mission quite unique.
In 2009, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, a 47-year-old decorated naval aviator and test pilot, was selected for the first time. He will serve as the mission commander for Artemis II.
In 2009, the Canadian Space Agency selected fighter pilot Hansen, 47, for astronaut training. He will be the first Canadian to ever travel to outer space.
According to media reports, Glover, a 46-year-old navy aviator, made his first journey into space in 2021, piloting SpaceX’s Crew Dragon on its second crewed mission and spending almost six months at the International Space Station.
Koch is the fourth member of the crew. Koch, 44, has conducted six spacewalks, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. She holds the record for the longest solitary spaceflight by a woman, with 328 days in space.
The Artemis II mission will vastly expand upon Artemis I, an unmanned test mission that concluded in December and sent NASA’s Orion capsule on a 1,400,000-mile trip around the moon.
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According to media reports, although the exact distance has not yet been calculated, the journey is expected to take approximately 10 days and will transport the crew beyond the moon, potentially further than anyone has ever traveled.
