Cal Poly astronaut to pilot NASA mission around moon

April 5, 2023

NASA has selected Cal Poly alum Victor Glover as the pilot for its upcoming Artemis II mission around the moon.

Artemis is a lunar exploration program led by NASA intended to reestablish a human presence on the moon. The program’s first mission, Artemis I, occurred late last year and consisted of a test run of NASA’s Orion spacecraft flying by the moon. 

In Artemis I, there was no crew aboard the Orion spacecraft. That will change with Artemis II, a joint mission of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) that could launch late next year. 

The second Artemis mission will consist of an approximately 10-day flight test to prove Orion’s life-support systems and validate the capabilities and techniques humans need to live and work deep in space.

Glover will pilot Orion on the mission. The other crew members who will join Glover one Artemis II are Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch and Mission Specialist 2 Jermey Hansen, of Canada. 

“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals — the Artemis II crew — will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission — and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all.

“This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”

Glover graduated from Cal Poly in 1999. He also graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School and the Naval Postgraduate School.

The now-spacecraft pilot flew 24 missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned several Navy medals, including the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. In 2013, NASA selected Glover as an astronaut while he was serving as a legislative fellow in the United States Senate.