Who are the astronauts on Artemis II? Historic mission includes first Black Moon astronaut and widow | indy100

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Tonight history could be made, as April 1 will hopefully mark NASA's Artemis II making its voyage to the Moon in what will become the first crewed mission there in 50 years.

Lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, could happen as soon as 6.24pm EDT.

There’s a two-hour launch window, so the rocket could take off any time up until 1.24am BST on Thursday morning (8.24pm EDT).

NASA will be streaming the launch live on its YouTube channel, with coverage starting at 12.45pm BST (7.45am EDT) as teams fuel up the Space Launch System. For full live coverage, tune in to the NASA+ streaming service from 5.50pm BST (12.50pm EDT).

Once successfully launched, the mission will last around 10 days, before the crew splash back down on Earth.

But, this particular launch will be particularly poignant as the four astronauts heading up to the moon have their own incredible back stories.

Three men and one woman will form this particular crew, and include a cancer widow, as well as who could become the first Black man to reach the moon.

Here's what we know about Artemis II's astronauts...

Reid Wiseman

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Despite formerly having a career as a US Navy test pilot and being on the cusp of heading to the Moon, Reid Wiseman has admitted he's actually scared of heights when down on Earth.

The 50-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, has been an astronaut for 16 years and previously went to the International Space Station in 2014 as an engineer. This time, he'll be playing the role of commander.

What's more, away from NASA he's raising his two teenage daughters, after losing his wife to cancer in 2020. However, he's said that he's already spoken to them honestly about the risks of him going to space.

"I love these two ladies, and I’m boarding that rocket a very proud father", he wrote in a social media post alongside a snap of him and his daughters stood next to the rocket.

Wiseman plans to take a small notepad so that he can jot down his thoughts during the mission.

"It's time to go to the Moon", he wrote on Instagram on 1 April, alongside a photo of the rocket at sundown.

Victor Glover

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Victor Glover has become one of the most-talked-about names associated with this mission - because, if successful - he'll become the first Black astronaut to reach the Moon.

The 49-year-old pilot has 12 years as an astronaut under his belt, but only six months space experience, so this mission will undoubtedly become a career highlight.

The Californian, who is a dad to four children, was previously the pilot of Nasa's SpaceX Crew 1 mission and spent nearly six months on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64.

His call sign, "IKE", is thought to be short for "I Know Everything" - a tongue-in-cheek quip to his three master's degrees in flight test engineering, systems engineering and military operational art and science.

In his last Instagram post, he was seen hopping in a simulator of the Orion spacecraft, mimicking the mission he's about to embark on.

As for his packing list? He'll be bringing along a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, and some motivational quotes from Apollo 9 astronaut, Rusty Schweickart.

Christina Koch

Christina Koch already has a few space records under her belt. The 47-year-old from Michigan has already completed the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station in 2019, and participated in the first all-female space walk.

However, more significantly, she's about to become the first woman to go to the Moon - a dream which began when she was just a child, after getting a poster of Bill Anders' famous Earthrise picture from Apollo 8.

"It feels like an incredible privilege and responsibility [to be on Artemis 2]", she said in an interview with Space.com in 2025.. "As a crew, I feel like we consolidated really quickly. That's just a set of values that we've all developed living in the astronaut corps for so many years, and so we felt crew-like very quickly."

On the Moon mission, she'll be bringing along handwritten notes from her loved ones.

Jeremy Hansen

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The only non-NASA astronaut on the mission, Jeremy Hansen is part of the Canadian Space Agency, and this will mark his first ever voyage to space.

In that respect, he'll be setting his own record for Canada, becoming the first non-American to reach the Moon.

The 50-year-old former fighter pilot can usually be found training new astronauts at NASA's Johnson Space Centre, or with his family, which includes three children.

In 2024, his wife, Catherine, spoke in a CNN interview about her "fear" and "anxiety" of him going to the Moon, when Artemis II was announced. However, he spoke about his hopes that his family would be "excited" seeing the rocket light. "I hope you think it's cool because it's such a powerful rocket", he said. "It's going to be a super emotional experience".

His personal items contain an eclectic mix of heartfelt treasures and essentials. He'll hold four Moon-shaped pendants for his wife and three children, engraved with the phrase "Moon and back". As a Canadian, he will also of course be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on board. They'll be up there 10 days, after all.

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