Following the success of Artemis 2, which completed a lunar orbit in April with four crew members on board, the question arises whether any of the astronauts from the first lunar mission in over 50 years will be selected to walk on the Moon during Artemis 4, scheduled for as early as 2028.
It has been confirmed that neither Reid Wiseman, who served as commander on Artemis 2, nor pilot Victor Glover will be part of Artemis 4. NASA announced that both astronauts will transition to "emeritus" status at the Johnson Space Center in Houston by the end of September.
American Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, the two specialists from Artemis 2, remain active.
As detailed by NASA in a statement, "in an emeritus role, individuals with high levels of technical and professional expertise can continue supporting the agency by dedicating their time to training and mentoring current personnel. This allows the agency to retain access to top talent in a specialized consulting role, while providing the individual with the flexibility to pursue other opportunities."
The reasons for these two astronauts - both 50 years old - no longer being candidates for space travel have not been disclosed, as they have only expressed gratitude to the US agency so far.
"NASA entrusted me with a huge responsibility, supported me through two space missions and during my time as chief of astronauts, and was always there for my family when we needed it most. I am delighted to continue serving future missions and programs through the emeritus program," stated Wiseman, who has two daughters and became a widower in 2020 after his wife's passing.
Glover, a father of four, expressed his enthusiasm for encouraging and supporting his friends to reach the Moon. "Together, we will continue pushing boundaries and inspiring the next great leap," he said in the statement.
Typically, being named an emeritus astronaut by NASA means that individual will not return to space. However, there is currently the possibility of spaceflights with private companies like Axiom Space. In theory, it would also be possible for them to participate in a future NASA mission if they continue to meet the agency's health and physical fitness requirements. For example, the legendary John Glenn returned to space in 1998, 36 years after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. At 77 years old, he took part in a study on the effects of weightlessness on human aging during a nine-day mission, alongside Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque.
Nevertheless, NASA's announcement likely signifies the retirement of Wiseman and Glover from space activities.
As members of the Artemis 2 crew, Glover and Wiseman were among the four astronauts who launched aboard NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, traveling in the Orion spacecraft on a mission around the Moon.
After a 10-day mission with Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, they splashed down on April 10, becoming the first humans to travel to lunar orbit in over 50 years and venturing farther into space than anyone before, reaching a distance of 406,771 kilometers from Earth. They also observed areas of the Moon's far side that no astronaut had seen before with their own eyes.
NASA is currently preparing for Artemis 3, a crewed mission that will orbit the Moon in 2027 and practice docking the Orion spacecraft with the lunar landing modules being developed by SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, and Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos.
The astronauts selected for this mission are Italian Luca Parmitano from the European Space Agency (ESA), and Americans Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas. Glover, who piloted Orion in Artemis 2, and Wiseman will play a crucial role in preparing for Artemis 3, as highlighted by NASA.
If all goes well, the next step will be Artemis 4, where at least two astronauts will land on the Moon and walk on its surface again. Since 1972, no human has returned, but China has been preparing for a crewed lunar mission set to be realized before 2030.