Cal Poly Alum to Pilot First Lunar Mission in Over 50 Years

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Victor Glover, a Cal Poly graduate, has been selected to pilot the Artemis II mission, which will be the first crewed flight around the Moon since 1972. Glover will be joined by fellow NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on the approximately 10-day mission to validate the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems and demonstrate the capabilities needed for deep space exploration.

Why it matters

The Artemis program is NASA's ambitious plan to reestablish a human presence on the Moon, with the ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars. Glover's selection as the pilot for Artemis II is a significant milestone, as it marks the first crewed lunar mission in over five decades and a major step forward in the agency's exploration efforts.

The details

Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022. The mission will consist of a flight test around the Moon to validate the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems and demonstrate the capabilities needed for deep space exploration. The crew will not land on the lunar surface, but will instead fly by the Moon before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, possibly off the coast of San Diego.

• Artemis II is slated for launch on Wednesday, March 31, 2026.
• The mission is expected to last approximately 10 days.

What’s next

After the successful completion of the Artemis II mission, NASA plans to move forward with the Artemis III mission, which will include the first crewed landing on the lunar surface since the Apollo program.