NASA Diversity Team

After a 50-year gap, NASA has announced the names of the four astronauts who will lead humanity back to the Moon. The team consists of Christina Koch, who will become the first woman astronaut to be assigned to a lunar mission, and Victor Glover, who will be the first black astronaut on such a mission.

Along with Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen, they will fly a capsule around the Moon either late next year or early in 2025. Although they won’t land on the Moon, their mission will pave the way for a subsequent crew to do so.

The four astronauts were presented in a public ceremony in Houston, Texas, and will now begin intense training to prepare for the mission. NASA’s selection of a woman and a person of colour reflects its commitment to greater diversity in its exploration efforts, as all previous crewed missions to the Moon were led by white men.