Haitian-American and global audiences celebrate as Glover joins crew for the first crewed lunar orbit mission since Apollo
Cape Canaveral, FL – March 2026 NASA’s Artemis II mission is poised to make history once again — and Haitian-American and Black communities worldwide are watching with pride.
In April 2023, NASA announced the crew for Artemis II, the first crewed mission in the Artemis program: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency). This 10-day mission will send the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a trajectory around the Moon — farther from Earth than any humans have traveled since the Apollo era — without landing on the surface.
The primary goals are to test Orion’s systems in deep space, including life support, propulsion, and heat shield performance during re-entry, paving the way for future lunar landings and eventual human missions to Mars.
Victor Glover’s Trailblazing Path Victor Glover, selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013, previously flew as pilot on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission in 2020, spending 167 days on the International Space Station during Expeditions 64/65. There, he became the first Black astronaut to live and work on the ISS for an extended duration, conducting research, participating in four spacewalks, and performing various station operations.
If Artemis II launches successfully (currently targeted for no earlier than March 2026, following the uncrewed Artemis I test flight that validated the SLS rocket and Orion capsule), Glover will achieve another historic milestone: becoming the first Black astronaut to voyage to the Moon.
This follows in the inspirational footsteps of trailblazers like Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space (1992 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour). No Black astronaut has yet flown to the Moon, making Glover’s role a groundbreaking moment for representation in space exploration.
Artemis II: A Return to Lunar Exploration Artemis II represents NASA’s return to crewed lunar exploration following Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission underscores diversity in space exploration, with Glover and Koch representing groundbreaking firsts for Black and female astronauts traveling this far from Earth.
The Artemis program builds toward a sustainable lunar presence, including the Artemis Base Camp near the Moon’s south pole and eventual human missions to Mars. Haiti’s diaspora — including Haitian-American communities in Florida, New York, and beyond — celebrates Glover’s role as a symbol of excellence, perseverance, and possibility.
L’Union Suite salutes Victor Glover and the entire Artemis II crew. Your journey inspires generations — proving that from Earth to the Moon, Haitian pride and Black excellence reach for the stars.
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