The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the four members assigned to the first lunar mission in 50 years, named Artemis II.

Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen are set to take off in Nov. 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

“This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate and it’s so much more than the four names that have been announced,” said Glover. 

The crew marks the first African American, Glover, and the first woman, Koch, to be assigned for a mission on the moon. 

“Am I excited? Absolutely,” said Koch. “But my real question is: Are you excited?” she said during the announcement event.

The crew also includes someone outside the U.S. for the first time. Hansen was included because of the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) advancements made towards NASA. 

“[CSA] snagged a seat because of its contributions of big robotic arms on NASA’s space shuttles and the space station,” said AP News. “One is also planned for the moon mission.”

Hansen said he was grateful to be representing Canada and being a part of the mission. 

Artemis II is a continuation of Artemis I, which took place from Nov. 16, 2022 to Dec. 30, 2022. 

The Orion capsule was used the first time and will also be used for Artemis II. It was uncrewed the first time it went around the moon as a test for future missions. 

“That process, much like the rest of the mission, aims to ensure the Orion spacecraft is ready to fly astronauts,” said CNN.

Artemis II is expected to last around ten days. When returning to Earth, the spacecraft is supposed to have a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. 

The spacecraft will not actually land on the moon, Artemis I and II are being used to check if the distance is coverable. Orion will only circle around the moon and come back. 

However, Artemis III is planned to take off in late 2025 and if everything goes as planned, NASA aims to put more people on the moon very soon.