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Victor Glover to be first Black astronaut to orbit the Moon as Artemis II pilot

Victor Glover, named pilot of NASA's Artemis II crewed lunar flyby, will become the first Black astronaut to orbit the Moon. A veteran since 2013 and the first Black astronaut on a long‑duration ISS expedition, Glover's assignment spotlights an often‑overlooked lineage of Black American explorers.

Discovered 2026-04-01T06:41:03.376756-07:00 | 2026-04-01T06:41:03.376756-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

Glover's assignment is a concrete milestone for representation in deep‑space missions and follows NASA's personnel announcement naming the Artemis II crew.
The flight is an operational shakedown: Glover will pilot Artemis II on a crewed lunar flyby targeted for early April, validating SLS/Orion deep‑space systems and reflecting recent launch preparations [source:01b269f7-39c4-40a8-a823-e8a8065720e8] [source:bd53121a-4879-469a-b767-dd6563ffcd38].
Glover brings relevant mission experience — astronaut since 2013 and the first Black astronaut on a long‑duration ISS mission — strengthening crew readiness for this high‑profile test flight [source:7b3c57ee-ccd0-41af-b38f-46a0d9b8c056].

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