Artemis Astronaut: NASA’s Upcoming Lunar Team Expected to Be Diverse
Astronauts from NASA’s first crewed Artemis flight approached a question about the diversity of future astronauts assigned to the upcoming moon-landing mission with thoughtful consideration. In a news conference following their return to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts — Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — were asked if the U.S. space agency should uphold its commitment to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon, a goal that has seen less emphasis recently.
This exchange brought to light an important matter that NASA has not publicly clarified. The Artemis program’s first landing mission is anticipated as early as 2028. Koch addressed the inquiry with a positive outlook, stating, “That’s a great question. Our understanding of that statement was that the Artemis campaign as a whole will usher in an era where that is true, and that it will happen naturally because of our astronaut corps.” Although each astronaut was invited to share their thoughts, only Koch responded before the conversation transitioned to another reporter’s question.
Before 2025, NASA consistently emphasized that the first Artemis lunar landing would feature the first woman and first person of color on the moon. However, over the past year, that emphasis has diminished in agency communications, following broader directives that have impacted diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across federal agencies.
The Artemis II crew itself represents a meaningful milestone, as this mission marks the first deep-space flight not made up entirely of white men. Koch is celebrated as the first woman, and Glover as the first Black person, to travel beyond low-Earth orbit. Their roles in the lunar flyby crew were appointed in 2023, during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Both Koch and Glover have played down the significance of these historical distinctions in previous discussions, choosing instead to highlight the technical aspirations of the mission. Yet, Koch expressed confidence that such milestones will naturally occur, regardless of any stated intentions. She shared, “The fact is we don’t have to try too hard to make that come true, to make that be the reality of this mission. We actually have to try harder to not make that true in the astronaut corps that we have.”
Artemis II, a mission lasting approximately 10 days around the moon and back, marked NASA’s first crewed venture beyond low-Earth orbit in over fifty years. The $4.1 billion test flight successfully assessed the Orion spacecraft’s life support, power, navigation, and steering systems. This mission traveled beyond the distances reached during the Apollo era, reaching a farthest point of approximately 252,756 miles. While NASA has not yet announced future crew assignments beyond Artemis II, the next mission, Artemis III, is set for a 2027 flight demonstration aimed at docking Orion with commercially built lunar landers in low-Earth orbit. Artemis IV is expected to attempt the program’s first lunar landing the following year. Agency officials have indicated that assignments will align with mission needs while remaining hopeful about the representation commitments established earlier.
