Reid Wiseman
NASA astronaut commanding Artemis II, humanity's first crewed Moon transit since 1972.
Last refreshed: 2 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What decisions does Commander Wiseman face on the first Moon mission in 54 years?
Latest on Reid Wiseman
- Who is Reid Wiseman?
- Reid Wiseman is a NASA astronaut and US Navy test pilot commanding Artemis II. He previously spent 165 days on the ISS during Expedition 41 in 2014.Source: NASA astronaut biography
- Why was Reid Wiseman chosen to command Artemis II?
- Wiseman was selected for his test-pilot background and prior spaceflight experience. NASA announced the Artemis II crew in April 2023.Source: NASA crew announcement, April 2023
- Has Reid Wiseman been to space before?
- Yes. He served on ISS Expedition 41 in 2014, spending 165 days in orbit and conducting three spacewalks.Source: NASA mission records
- What is Wiseman responsible for on Artemis II?
- As commander, Wiseman is responsible for crew safety, mission execution, and all go/no-go decisions, including the critical translunar injection burn on 2 April.Source: Artemis II mission events
Background
Reid Wiseman commands Artemis II, NASA's first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17. He held overall responsibility for the 1 April 2026 launch and is leading the crew through the translunar injection decision window on 2 April.
Wiseman is a US Navy test pilot and NASA astronaut (class of 2009). He previously served as commander of Expedition 41 aboard the International Space Station in 2014, accumulating 165 days in orbit. He was selected as Artemis II commander in April 2023, one of the first crew assignments for the programme. His background in test piloting is directly relevant to Artemis II's manual Proximity operations phase, during which the crew demonstrated spacecraft handling at close range to the upper stage.
As commander of the first crewed deep-space mission in more than fifty years, Wiseman's role extends beyond piloting: he is the public face of NASA's human return to cislunar space and the individual accountable for crew safety through the heat shield uncertainty that has shadowed the mission.
