Victor Glover Becomes First Black Astronaut to Travel to the Moon

Victor Glover will make history as the first Black astronaut to travel to the moon. Earlier this week, @nasa announced Glover would be piloting NASA’s Orion capsule around the moon as part of the Artemis II team.

It’s been 55 years since NASA first orbited the moon and 54 years since NASA astronauts first stepped foot on it. The Artemis II mission is historic in many ways, as the team will be NASA’s first moon crew to include not only a Black astronaut, but also a female astronaut (Christina Koch), and someone who is not American—Jeremy Hansen is Canadian.

Glover, a Southern California native, is an experienced astronaut who has been part of several missions including SpaceX Crew-1, Expedition 64, and Expedition 65.

According to NASA, Glover “holds a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler.”

Glover and the Artemis II crew will travel around the moon on a 10-day mission, as part of preparations for a moon landing by the Artemis III crew sometime in 2025.

Congratulations to Victor Glover and the Artemis II team on this historic mission! 🌙