The Artemis II Crew: Meet the Humans Who Have Traveled the Farthest in History

In 2026, the entire world shifted its focus to four people. These individuals were the Artemis II crew, a mission intended to take humans farther into space than ever before. While the experiments and discoveries on this venture were groundbreaking, they were only possible through the brilliance of the individual minds on board and the beauty of multinational collaboration. Discover which humans made this leap — one that will go down in history, even when this record is inevitably broken again.

The Artemis II Mission, in Summary

In April 2026, a four-person crew left NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in an Orion capsule on the first moon mission since the 1960s. It was a collaboration between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), setting a precedent for future international partnerships in space exploration.

The mission would never land on the moon — it would be a seemingly simple flyby lasting 10 days. However, the ship Integrity would travel a maximum distance of 252,756 miles, setting a new record. This means the crew contains the people who have flown the farthest from Earth.

Their goal was multifold. They were testing life support systems, taking photos, pushing communications systems to their limits and piloting with manual controls. These findings would set the foundation for Artemis III and future missions to the moon and, eventually, Mars. During this trip, the crew observed frozen water stores on the moon’s poles and a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse.

The Pioneers Aboard Integrity

The Artemis II crew was carefully selected for their qualifications and diverse experience. They were also a celebration of diversity, featuring the first woman, Black individual and Canadian to go on a lunar trip. Find out more about each of them, what they contributed and where they are now.

Commander Reid Wiseman

Wiseman is from Baltimore, Maryland, and was a U.S. Navy Captain before becoming an astronaut. Prior to Artemis II, he served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), logging an impressive 165 days in space. During his tenure there, he conducted two spacewalks and served as Chief of the Astronaut Office, demonstrating his ability to be a fearless and reliable leader.

On Integrity, he oversaw the crew. He was responsible for ensuring everyone’s safety and for their contributions. He was the primary guide for the entire mission, which he knew represented the future of global progress. In an interview with the BBC, he reflected on the gravity of the crew’s impact, saying, “We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world.”

His efforts will be essential in future briefings for later space travel.

Pilot Victor Glover

Glover was also a U.S. Navy Captain and is from Pomona, California. He went on his first spaceflight mission in 2018 as Crew-1 Pilot on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon that went to the ISS. There, he went on four spacewalks and spent 168 days in space. He served as a flight engineer but was selected for the Artemis II crew because of his 4,000 cumulative flight hours.

His role on Integrity was clear — steer the ship. He manually controlled the Orion and tested its functionalities, docking maneuvers and more. When speaking with CNET about how honored he was to achieve this first for humanity, he quipped, “Han Solo wants to be me when he grows up!”

Alongside post-mission activities, Glover continues to contribute his experience to the continued development of the Artemis project. Glover’s impact will continue to be felt, especially as the first Black person to go on a lunar mission. He is a symbol of possibility and hope for equality in the industry.

Mission Specialist Christina Koch

Koch is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is the first woman on a Moon mission. She also holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a female. She was on the ISS for 328 days, during which she participated in the first all-female spacewalk. 

Her role on the Artemis II mission was to execute mission-critical systems and serve as support for Reid and Glover. She was an invaluable resource for engineering and technical expertise, ensuring everything remained in working order, maintaining anything that needed troubleshooting and liaising with the crew.

Koch wants the crew’s impact to be felt throughout the coming generations of space experts and travelers, saying, “It is our strong hope that this mission is the start of an era where everyone, every person on Earth, can look at the moon and think of it as also a destination.” Similar to Glover, she is an essential advisor in future mission development and a symbol of gender equity for future STEM professionals.

Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen

Hansen was the only CSA astronaut on board and the first Canadian to fly on a lunar mission. He has been in the business since 2009, but this was his first time in space. He played a monumental role in developing training programs, demonstrating an intimate understanding of what it takes to be on a mission. He was also trained underwater at the Aquarius Reef Base.

Similar to Koch, his role as a Mission Specialist was to ensure every device was in working order and to oversee spaceflight systems. 

It is clear that Hansen’s mission was to do more than help manage Integrity. He wants to show what is possible by pursuing space, saying, “I hope humanity will stop for a moment when four humans are on the far side of the moon and be reminded that we can do a better job as humans of just lifting each other up. Not destroying, but creating together.”

He has become a symbol of hope for international partnerships in future spaceflights and missions, and a noted figure in Canada inspiring the next generation.

The Legendary Artemis II Crew

The mark these individuals had on science, space travel and hope is unmatched. It represents the entirety of human history and its commitment to discovery, science and understanding. Without the contributions of Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen, Earth would not know as much about space as it does now. Eventually, their efforts will be felt when stepping foot on Mars and beyond.