The Moon Society extends its congratulations to all members of NASA’s Artemis II mission, including American astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The crew’s diversity reflects the leaps and bounds made in education and industry with regard to members of historically underrepresented communities. Glover is the first Black astronaut to travel into deep space, Koch is the first woman to do so, and Hansen is the first non-American to venture beyond low Earth orbit. Artemis II was the first mission in over fifty-three years — since Apollo 17 — to leave low Earth orbit. It is now the farthest-reaching crewed mission in history, its 252,756 miles (406,771 km) surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
The world watched these explorers every step of the way — in awe as the crew rose into the sky atop the Space Launch System, captivated as they traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them aboard the Orion spacecraft, and inspired as they returned safely home. The life-support system sustained the astronauts in deep space, and the heat shield protected them as they reentered the atmosphere and splashed down. These achievements were made possible by the dedicated engineering teams behind the mission.
In the days since splashdown, Artemis II has encouraged us to dream further about what is possible — and to have hope, which the Moon Society holds in abundance as NASA works toward the success of the upcoming Artemis III, IV, and V missions. Our goal is not simply to go to the Moon, but to stay and settle it — achievable through strong public-private partnerships, cooperation with other nations, and continued investment in education and workforce development. A thriving cislunar economy is vital to lunar settlement.
Our community of experts and advocates is energized now more than ever. The Moon Society is working diligently to support the upcoming Artemis missions in any way we can.