The Artemis II is getting ready to head into space following the success of the Artemis I mission. As such, a new batch of astronauts would be onboard including three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency (CNA) astronaut.
Artemis II Crew
After the success of Artemis I and how it surpassed initial expectations, higher expectations are being set with Artemis II, the European Service Module, as it gets ready to become the primary power and propulsion continent for the Orion.
The difference with this mission is that it would have real astronauts onboard and has to ensure they would get the essentials from electricity to temperature control. The Artemis II vehicle will go through thorough testing as it's scheduled to launch in 2024.
The upcoming 10-day-long mission is set to happen in November 2024 and will include NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch. They will also be joined by CSA mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
These astronauts would be flown around the moon before they returned to Earth. The mission would also use the Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket to launch the lunar flyby mission.
The involvement of a CSA astronaut is because of commitments made by Canada regarding the supply of Canadarm3. This was a robotic arm that played an integral role in NASA Gateway service.
The CSA will also be involved in future Artemis missions as their astronauts would get seats and science slots.
Mission Astronauts
The first astronaut, NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, from May to November 2014, served as the Flight Engineer during Expedition 41 on the International Space Station. Throughout his time at the station, Reid and his crewmates were able to accomplish 300 medicine, physiology, physical science, astrophysics, and Earth science experiments.
The second astronaut, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, was a United States Senate Legislative Fellow when he was selected to be an astronaut in 2013. He also served as the second-in-command and pilot on the May 2, 2021 Resilience, the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon.
The third astronaut, NASA Mission Specialist Christina Hammock, became a NASA astronaut in 2013 and was the first ISS engineer for Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. She also holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman after she stayed in space for 328 days.
The last participant, CSA Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, will be the first Canadian to ever venture to the moon with experience as a fighter pilot. He was part of the 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron in 1988; and fast forward to 2017, he became the first Canadian to ever lead a NASA astronaut class, with candidate astronauts in training from Canada and the United States.
He also received special honors including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Golden Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2014. He also received the Canadian Forces Decoration in October 2006 for his 12 years of good service.
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