Artemis 2 lunar mission astronauts unveiled by NASA for historic mission in 50 years

NASA chief Bill Nelson unveiled the crew for the Artemis 2 mission on Monday. This will be the first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years. Four astronauts, three American and one Canadian, will be undertaking the journey which will see them fly around the moon.

The four astronauts to take the trip to the moon are - NASA astronauts Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

The crewed mission includes the first woman and the first African American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission.Christina Koch, an engineer who holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman, was namedmission specialist.

Victor Glover has been chosen as the Artemis 2pilot. Gloverwas part of the second crewed flight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Hansen isthe first Canadian ever to be chosen for a flight to the moon.Wiseman isan International Space Station veteran and wasnamed Artemis II mission commander.

NASA's Artemis 2 lunar mission is set for 2024. The four astronauts will go around the moon on a lunar flyby aboard an Orion spacecraft. They won't be landing on the surface of the moon nor will be the spacecraft enter the moon's orbit.

Artemis 2 will be an eight-day mission and is the last test flight before Artemis 3 goes on a crewed mission in 2025 with the aim to land humans on the moon.

(With inputs from agencies)

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