NASA's Artemis program, which aims for humanity to set foot on the Moon again, started with the first mission on November 16. The mission did not involve any astronauts on NASA's Orion spacecraft. The mission was a test for the giant launch rocket Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft. The second mission of the program aims to send astronauts into lunar orbit. NASA selected its astronauts yesterday for the mission, which is scheduled to take place in November 2024. The astronauts who will take part in the Artemis II mission have been announced.

Astronauts to be sent to lunar orbit with Artemis II:

Reid Wiseman (NASA)
Victor Glover (NASA)
Christina Koch (NASA)
Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency)
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch are among the names who have spent time on the International Space Station (ISS). Jeremy Hansen will make the first space flight in this mission.

Reis Wiseman, 47, was the first test pilot to be selected as a NASA astronaut. In 2014, he spent a total of 165 days on the ISS. He held the post of Chief Astronaut, the most senior position for NASA astronauts, until November 2022.

Victor Glover, 46, made his first space flight on SpaceX's second manned mission. He spent close to 6 months on the ISS. The astronaut, who was a fighter pilot before, served in the USA and Japan in the 2000s, performing 24 military missions.

Christina Koch, 44, has done a total of 6 spacewalks so far. Koch became the first female astronaut to make a spacewalk in 2019. She also became the longest woman in space, staying in space for 328 days.

Finally, 47-year-old Jeremy Hansen is among the four active Canadian astronauts. Hansen will be the first Canadian to journey into 'deep space'.

About the Artemis II quest:

The Artemis II mission will take approximately 10 days. In the mission that will start with the launch from Kennedy Space Center, astronauts will go beyond the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. Four astronauts will reach the furthest distance humanity has traveled in space. After the tour around the moon, the team will return to Earth.

The mission where the astronauts will step on the Moon again will be the Artemis III mission. The astronauts who will take part in the mission, which is scheduled to begin in 2025, have not yet been determined. On the other hand, there is a possibility that the mission will be postponed to 2026 and beyond.