Victor Glover
NASA pilot on Artemis II; first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
Last refreshed: 17 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What is pilot Victor Glover's role in Artemis II's lunar operations?
Timeline for Victor Glover
Mentioned in: Third radiation window closes with no data
Artemis II Moon MissionCrew talk; heat shield answer waits
Artemis II Moon MissionMentioned in: Dose data dark 72 hours on
Artemis II Moon MissionOrion due to splash down; crew recovery planned
Artemis II Moon MissionOrion splashes down in Pacific, crew recovered aboard USS Murtha
Artemis II Moon Mission- Who is Victor Glover?
- Victor Glover is a NASA astronaut and US Navy test pilot serving as pilot of Artemis II. He is the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit.Source: NASA astronaut biography
- Has Victor Glover been to space before?
- Yes. He was pilot on SpaceX Crew Dragon Crew-1 in November 2020, spending 168 days aboard the ISS during Expedition 64.Source: NASA mission records
- Why is Victor Glover's Artemis II flight historic?
- Glover is the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit, making his Artemis II flight a landmark in the history of human spaceflight.Source: NASA and space history records
- Why is Victor Glover on Artemis II?
- Glover is a Navy test pilot and veteran ISS crew member who piloted SpaceX Crew-1. He serves as pilot, responsible for spacecraft manoeuvres including the Proximity operations demo.Source: NASA crew announcement
Background
Victor Glover served as pilot of Artemis II, which launched on 1 April 2026 and splashed down on 10 April, making him the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit and the first to journey toward the Moon. At the post-flight press conference on 16 April he described the five seconds of parachute descent as "diving backward off a skyscraper".
Glover is a US Navy test pilot and NASA astronaut (class of 2013). He served as pilot on SpaceX Crew Dragon's first operational mission (Crew-1) in November 2020, spending 168 days aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 64. As Artemis II pilot he was second-in-command, responsible for spacecraft systems management and supporting Commander Wiseman through flight operations. He participated in the manual Proximity operations demonstration in which the crew flew Orion to within approximately 10 metres of the upper stage.
Glover's presence on Artemis II carries historic weight: he follows in a lineage from Mae Jemison and represents a deliberate broadening of who NASA sends beyond Earth. His completion of the mission positions him as a potential candidate for a future Artemis landing crew.
