Nasa announces crew for lunar mission Artemis II to be launched in Nov

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday introduced the four astronauts, who will be a part of the lunar mission, Artemis II, next year.

The four astronauts will now begin training for the historic Artemis II lunar flyby, which is scheduled to launch in November 2024. This will be the first crewed moon trip in fifty years.

The astronauts are Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman of NASA. NASA has named the first woman, who is also one the world's most experienced spacewalkers and the first African American ever assigned as an astronaut, making the lunar mission quite special, CNN reported.

Reid Wiseman of NASA, a 47-year-old decorated naval aviator and test pilot was first selected as an astronaut for the space organisation in 2009. He will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission.

Hansen, 47, a fighter pilot was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. Notably, he will be the first Canadian ever to travel to deep space.

Glover, a 46-year-old navy aviator, made his first trip into space in 2021, flying SpaceX's Crew Dragon on its second crewed mission and spending nearly six months at the International Space Station, reported CNN.

The fourth crew member is Koch. Six spacewalks have been completed by Koch, 44, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. With 328 days in space, she holds the record for the longest solo spaceflight by a woman.

The Artemis II mission will significantly expand upon Artemis I, an unmanned test mission that culminated in December and took NASA's Orion capsule on a 1.4 million-mile journey to lap the moon.

Although the precise distance has not yet been calculated, the trip is anticipated to take around 10 days and will transport the crew beyond the moon, possibly further than any person has ever travelled, CNN reported.