Meet the 4 Artemis II Astronauts Taking Humanity 252,756 Miles to the Moon

The four-member Artemis II crew: NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The team is pictured in their Orion Crew Survival System suits ahead of the historic 2026 lunar flyby mission. Photo Credit: NASA/Instagram

Since lifting off from the Kennedy Space Centre on April 1, 2026, the four-person crew of Artemis II has transformed the abstract dream of deep-space exploration into a breathtaking daily reality. Over the past six days, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have invited the world along for the ride, sharing high-resolution selfies with a crescent Earth and sending back stunning footage of our home planet becoming a muted blue marble in the void.

What began as a series of system checks in low-Earth orbit has now culminated in a historic milestone: as of Monday, April 6, these four pioneers have travelled further into the cosmos than any human being in history, officially beginning their journey around the far side of the Moon.

Get to know the four pioneers currently making history 252,756 miles from home:

Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA)

As the mission’s commander, Reid Wiseman is responsible for the overall success of the flight and the safety of the crew.A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University, Wiseman is a seasoned naval aviator who previously served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 41. During that 165-day mission, he conducted over 300 scientific experiments and logged nearly 13 hours across two spacewalks. Before being assigned to lead Artemis II, he also served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office, overseeing the training and flight rotations for the entire NASA corps.

Official portrait of Artemis II Mission Commander Reid Wiseman wearing the orange flight suit with blue trim, photographed against a dark background ahead of the record-breaking 2026 lunar mission. Photo Credit: NASA/Instagram

Pilot Victor Glover (NASA)

Victor Glover serves as the Artemis II pilot, a role that puts him in charge of executing all spacecraft maneuvers and ensuring the Orion’s flight path remains precise. Glover is a naval aviator with 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft.He previously served as the pilot for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, which launched in 2020. During his 168-day stay on the ISS for Expedition 64, Glover acted as a flight engineer, contributing to scientific investigations and performing four spacewalks to maintain the station’s exterior.

Official portrait of NASA astronaut Victor Glover, pilot of the Orion spacecraft Integrity, wearing the Artemis mission flight suit during the historic 2026 lunar distance record mission. Photo Credit: NASA/Instagram

Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA)

Christina Koch is one of the two mission specialists on board, a role that requires her to be cross-trained in every spacecraft system to support any phase of the mission. Koch is an electrical engineer who studied at North Carolina State University and the University of Ghana. She is a highly seasoned astronaut, having served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. During her time on the ISS, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman—328 days—and conducted six spacewalks, totalling over 42 hours of extravehicular activity.

NASA Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, pictured in her official Artemis II flight gear for the 2026 Moon flyby. Photo Credit: NASA/Instagram

Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (CSA)

Representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Jeremy Hansen is also a mission specialist, trained to assist with all aspects of the Orion’s operation. A Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and a former fighter pilot, Hansen holds a Master’s degree in physics with a focus on satellite tracking systems. While Artemis II is his first spaceflight, Hansen has been a member of the astronaut corps since 2009. He previously made history in 2017 when he became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut training class, overseeing the development of new candidates for both the US and Canada.

Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the first Canadian to fly to the Moon, posing for his official Artemis II portrait in 2026. Photo Credit: NASA/Instagram

For Commander Reid Wiseman, the record-breaking distance of 252,756 miles isn’t just a number, it is the literal fulfilment of a dream he shared with the world a decade ago. On December 17, 2016, Wiseman took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a fleeting thought that many aspiring explorers could relate to:

Dreamt I was in lunar orbit last night. Been in that post-vivid-dream-that-wasn’t-real funk all morning.”

Ten years later, on April 6, 2026, as the Orion spacecraft Integrity officially entered the Moon’s sphere of influence and surpassed the Apollo 13 record, Wiseman quoted that very post from deep space. His response was simple, yet profound:

All I feel is gratitude for this experience.

This full circle moment serves as a powerful reminder of the persistence required for the Artemis generation. What was once a “funk” brought on by a dream is now a documented chapter in the history of human achievement.

All I feel is gratitude for this experience. https://t.co/47epB947bF

— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 6, 2026