Artemis II mission: SoCal native chosen by NASA for historic trip around the moon
HOUSTON (KABC) -- A Southern California native was chosen Monday as one of four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year as part of NASA's ambitious Artemis program to establish a lunar base as an outpost for future deep-space missions.
Victor Glover, who was born in Pomona and attended Ontario High School and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, will serve as pilot on the mission.
The first moon crew in 50 years - three Americans and one Canadian - was introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control.
"This is humanity's crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The four astronauts will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit, but rather fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.
Glover will be joined by commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Glover, Wiseman and Koch are all NASA astronauts, while Hansen is with the Canadian Space Agency.
Glover will become the first person of color to take part in a lunar mission, while Koch will be the first woman and Hansen the first Canadian.
Glover was the first from his family to graduate from college.
"I want to thank God for this amazing opportunity, and I think I speak for all of us - I want to thank our families for the amazing support," Glover said during the ceremony. "It is your love and support that has made this journey possible."
Artemis II is part of the first set of missions by NASA to send a crew to the moon since Apollo 17 more than 50 years ago.
President Joe Biden told the astronauts they're inspiring countless people around the country and world.
"I pray that God will bless this mission, but I also pray that we can continue to serve as a source of inspiration for cooperation and peace, not just between nations, but in our own nation," Glover said.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
