When will NASA announce the Artemis 2 astronauts?

With the success of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission, the debut of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket, we are eagerly waiting to see who will fly on Artemis 2, the first crewed flight to the Moon in over 50 years. When will NASA announce Artemis 2’s crew assignments?

NASA Administrator announces crew reveal date

Ever since Artemis 1’s Orion spacecraft splashed down, the number one question on our minds was who would be flying the next SLS to take off from LC-39B. We will finally get our answer as NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced during the 2023 State of NASA address that they will reveal the crew on April 3.

NASA has been tight-lipped on the crew selection of the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo. However, we might have a hint as to who is on the shortlist for an assignment since the previous administration announced a cadre of Artemis astronauts.

• Joseph Acaba
• Kayla Barron
• Raja Chari
• Matthew Dominick 
• Victor Glover
• Warren Hoburg
• Jonny Jim
• Christina Koch
• Kjell Lindgren
• Nicole Mann
• Anne McClain
• Jessica Meir
• Jasmin Moghbeli
• Kathleen Rubins
• Frank Rubio
• Scott Tingle
• Jessica Watkins
• Stephanie Wilson

A site is still up detailing the astronauts that are part of “Team Artemis,” but the list could have expanded with the new leadership at NASA since President Biden took office. However, I would bet this is a good list to make guesses with since some thought from management, that still works at the agency, on who should fly to the Moon was done.

One seat will go to Canada

Thanks to a treaty signed between the US and Canada back in 2020, one seat of Artemis 2 will go to the Canadian Space Agency. In return, CSA will handle operations and construction of Canadarm 3 for the Gateway lunar space station.

The CSA currently has an astronaut corp of four who have trained with NASA astronauts at Johnson Space Center for the past few years. One will be selected for the crewed flight around the Moon, and another will get the coveted spot of landing on the Moon on a future flight. Below is the list of active CSA astronauts:

• Jeremy Hansen
• Joshua Kutryk
• Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons
• David Saint-Jacques

Artemis 2’s mission

The crew of Artemis 2 will be tasked with testing and certifying the Orion spacecraft for crewed operations to and from the Moon. Similar to the mission SpaceX DM-2 performed for Crew Dragon back in 2020. They will do this by launching on a trajectory around the Moon and returning to Earth, making a large “figure 8” just like Apollo 8’s flight in 1968.

Artemis 2 is slated to lift off in late 2024, with a good chance of slipping to 2025, depending on SLS construction progress and launch preparations.