Artemis II will make history with a woman, an African-American, and a Canadian orbiting the Moon

Miami .- The Artemis II mission will not only mark the return of humans to lunar orbit this year, more than five decades later, but will also inaugurate a more representative era of exploration, by taking a woman, an African-American astronaut, and a Canadian to the Earth's satellite for the first time. Along with the mission commander, American astronaut Reid Wiseman, NASA specialists Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will travel. The four have a total of 661 days of experience in space and twelve spacewalks, and they will have the mission of reaching lunar orbit, circling the satellite, and returning to Earth in ten days.

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The crew began the mandatory quarantine on January 23rd before the launch of Artemis II, whose launch window was postponed this Friday to February 8th, due to bad weather in Florida, and will be extended until April. The launch of Artemis II will mark humanity's return to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972, when the Apollo 12 astronauts left the Moon's surface on the last of these types of missions. Artemis III, scheduled for no earlier than 2027, will be responsible for sending astronauts to the lunar surface again.

Koch, the woman with the most consecutive days in space 

Koch, 47, is one of the two mission specialists, a role more focused on the execution of experiments and the logistics of the cargo than in the case of the commander and the pilot. In addition to being the only woman on Artemis II, she is the astronaut with the most space experience of the four crew members, thanks to the 328 consecutive days she spent on the International Space Station (ISS) between 2019 and 2020, an absolute record for a woman. During that period, she carried out six spacewalks for a period of 42 hours and 15 minutes, including the first one exclusively composed of women. Born in Michigan, Koch was recruited as an astronaut in 2013 and Artemis II will grant her the honor of being the first woman to travel to the Moon.

Glover, a source of pride for the black race 

The 49-year-old pilot Victor Glover will become the first black person to reach lunar orbit. Will be responsible for the flight systems of the Orion capsule, which will transport astronauts to lunar orbit, a function he already performed as a pilot on SpaceX's Crew-1 mission in 2018. Designated an astronaut in 2013, this Californian is the second most experienced mission member in space with 168 days. In addition, he has performed four spacewalks and was chosen in 2023 by TIME magazine as one of the 100 emerging leaders for his technical skills and for his historical role as the first African American to travel to the Moon. Like Wiseman, this will be his second space experience.

The First-Time Canadian 

Jeremy Hansen, born in Canada 50 years ago, is the only rookie on the mission, as he has never left the Earth's surface, despite having been an astronaut since 2009. He will be the first Canadian to reach lunar orbit when the Orion capsule approaches the Earth's satellite.

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However, Hansen has starred in missions in extreme environments in his training, living for a week underground or on the seabed as part of missions such as NEEMO, which has been used by NASA since 2001 to prepare astronauts for future space travel.

A Key American for the Return to the Moon 

Wiseman, 50 years old and mission commander, was recruited as an astronaut in 2009 after more than 20 years of experience in the Navy. His first trip to space occurred five years later, when he spent 165 days aboard the space station. Born in Baltimore, the astronaut performed two spacewalks during that mission, accumulating 13 hours outside the orbital laboratory. Inside the station, he set a milestone alongside his two other colleagues in terms of research. The trio accumulated a record of 82 hours of research in a single week in July 2014. Artemis II will be his second trip to space.