4 Astronauts Launch to Moon Next Week After 53 Years

After more than 50 years, humans are about to return to the Moon. Four astronauts will launch as early as April 1 on NASA's Artemis II mission, traveling deeper into space than any human since the Apollo era.

The 10-day journey won't land on the lunar surface yet, but it will test the Orion spacecraft for future Moon landings. The crew is already at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reviewing emergency procedures, staying in quarantine, and spending precious time with their families before liftoff.

Commander Reid Wiseman leads the mission as a retired Navy captain and former NASA chief astronaut. When asked three years ago to take the role, his teenage daughters had "zero interest" in seeing him launch again. But Wiseman, who has been a single father since his wife Carroll passed away from cancer in 2020, couldn't refuse. "Of all the people on planet Earth right now, there are four people that are in a position to go fly around the Moon," he told his daughters. "I cannot say no to that opportunity."

Pilot Victor Glover, one of NASA's few Black astronauts, sees his place on the mission as a "force for good" and a chance to inspire others. Before every launch, he listens to Gil Scott-Heron's "Whitey on the Moon" and Marvin Gaye's "Make Me Wanna Holler," songs from the white-dominated Apollo era that "capture what we did well, what we did poorly." He'll become the first African-American to travel to the Moon.

Mission specialist Christina Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman at 328 days. The 47-year-old electrical engineer also completed the first all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir in 2019. More than any individual achievement, Koch says the mission is "about celebrating the fact that we've arrived to this place in history" where women can fly to the Moon.

Canadian fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen rounds out the crew, making his space debut at age 50. The physicist and colonel grew up on a farm in rural Canada before becoming a CF-18 pilot. He'll be the first Canadian ever to travel to the Moon.

The Ripple Effect

This mission represents more than a return to space exploration. The diverse crew reflects how far we've come since the Apollo era, when only white men flew to the Moon. Young girls can now see a woman traveling to lunar orbit. Black children can watch an astronaut who looks like them journey farther than almost any human in history. Canadian kids are watching one of their own make history.

NASA officials say all operations have been going smoothly ahead of the launch window between April 1 and 6. "We are getting very, very close, and we are ready," said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate.

The stars are finally within reach for everyone.