NASA's Artemis II leaders Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover step back

Capecanaveral,UPDATED: Sep 9, 2026 21:12 IST

NASA has said that Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, the two astronauts who led the Artemis II moon mission earlier this year, are stepping away from active spaceflight. The space agency announced on Wednesday that both will continue to support its lunar programme as emeritus astronauts.

The change comes months after Artemis II flew around the moon in April with four astronauts and set a new distance record for humanity. With Jeremy Hansen having retired from the Canadian Space Agency in July, Christina Koch is now the only Artemis II crew member still on the active astronaut rolls.

NASA said Wiseman, the mission commander, and Glover, the pilot, will donate their time as emeritus astronauts to train and mentor agency workers and share their experience for future moon missions. The agency described this as a new way to make use of their expertise.

"Together, they took on one of the most challenging missions in human spaceflight and helped return America to the lunar environment," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. "I'm grateful they will continue sharing what they learned."

Glover has taken up a leadership role at his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University. Cal Poly said he will help shape long-term strategies and inspire students to study science and engineering. His new role in San Luis Obispo took effect on September 1.

NASA did not disclose Wiseman's future plans, but said his status change will take effect this month. Chosen by NASA as an astronaut in 2009, the retired Navy captain spent more than five months aboard the Space Station in 2014 and later served as the agency's chief astronaut.

After graduating from Cal Poly in 1999, Glover became a Navy test pilot before NASA selected him as an astronaut in 2013. He later served as the pilot on SpaceX's second crew flight for NASA, a mission to the Space Station that lasted nearly six months in 2020 and 2021.

Glover drew attention for his words while travelling to and from the moon. Earth is an oasis in "a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe" where humanity exists as one, he said from space. "This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing and that we've got to get through this together."

Wiseman also struck an emotional note during the mission when he and his crewmates asked for permission to name one of the moon's craters after his late wife Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

Last month, the Artemis II crew received the Congressional Space Medal of Honour from President Donald Trump at a ceremony at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The latest changes mean Wiseman and Glover will remain part of the moon programme in mentoring roles, while Koch is the only Artemis II astronaut still serving on active duty.

With PTI Inputs

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