Victor Glover To Make History As First Black Man To Venture To The Moon

Meet Victor Glover, the NASA astronaut who is set to make history as the first Black man to venture to the Moon.

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have announced the four astronauts selected to fly on Artemis II, the first crewed mission in NASA’s ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the Moon.

Pilot Victor Glover will board the Orion spacecraft and embark on a flyby of the Moon with Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission late next year or early in 2025.

This mission marks the first time humans will fly to the vicinity of the Moon in over 50 years – essentially replicating the 1968 Apollo 8 mission but with 21st-century tech.

Glover is the first Black man to make the trip, and Koch is the first woman – all the previous crewed missions to the Moon were made by white men.

“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,” said Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson, in a press statement.

“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.”

This will be Glover’s second spaceflight. He previously served as a pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1, where he spent 168 days in space. As a flight engineer aboard the space station, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks.

The California native has accumulated over 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, with more than 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions under his belt.

Now, after being selected from a pool of 41 active astronauts, Glover is making history as the first Black man to venture to the moon.