Artemis II Astronauts Eager for Future Moon Landings

NASA crew reflects on successful mission and looks ahead to putting boots on lunar surface

Apr. 16, 2026 at 11:20pm

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A bold, abstract painting in muted earth tones featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise spirals, visualizing the complex forces and concepts of lunar exploration without any text or identifiable elements.The Artemis II crew's successful journey around the moon sets the stage for the next bold steps in NASA's lunar exploration program.San Diego Today

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission, including the first Black man, first woman, and first non-American to orbit the moon, are already eager for the next step - landing on the lunar surface. The crew discussed their experiences, technical challenges, and excitement about the future of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and eventually send the first astronauts to Mars.

Why it matters

The successful Artemis II mission marks a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plan to establish a sustained human presence on the moon. The diversity of the crew also reflects the changing face of the astronaut corps, which now includes more women and people of color, a shift that will be reflected in future moon landing crews.

The details

During a news conference, the Artemis II crew - commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - discussed technical issues they faced, like a smoke detector going off, as well as their eagerness to take the next step and land on the lunar surface. The spacecraft's heat shield also performed well during re-entry. The astronauts said they will need to accept a bit more risk to push ahead with landing missions and building a lunar outpost.

  • Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026 and traveled 694,481 miles.
  • The crew splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 14, 2026.
  • This was the first time astronauts have left low-Earth orbit since 1972.

The players

Reid Wiseman

NASA astronaut who commanded the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover

NASA astronaut, the first Black man to orbit the moon.

Christina Koch

NASA astronaut, the first woman to orbit the moon.

Jeremy Hansen

Canadian Space Agency astronaut, the first non-American to orbit the moon.

Jim Bridenstine

Former NASA administrator who promised the first Artemis moon landing would include "the next man and the first woman".

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What they’re saying

“If we had a first flight lander on board that thing, I know at least three of my crewmates would have been in it, trying to land on the moon.”

— Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission commander

“It's going to be extremely technically challenging, but this team needs to show up every day knowing it is absolutely doable, and it's doable soon.”

— Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission commander

“We have to be willing to accept a little more risk than we were willing to accept in the past, and to just trust that we will figure it out in real time.”

— Jeremy Hansen, Canadian Space Agency astronaut

“The fact is, you don't have to try too hard to make that come true. You'd actually have to try harder to not make that be true in the astronaut corps that we have, and I do think that's something to celebrate.”

— Christina Koch, NASA astronaut

What’s next

NASA plans to launch the Artemis III mission, which will attempt the first crewed lunar landing since the Apollo program, in the coming years.

The takeaway

The successful Artemis II mission has the NASA team energized and confident about the future of lunar exploration, with a renewed commitment to diversity and a willingness to take on more risk to achieve the goal of putting astronauts back on the moon.