The first U.S. space mission to the Moon in more than 50 years will be piloted by NASA astronaut Victor Glover, a Black engineer who spent six months aboard the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, the first crew rotation mission aboard a commercial spacecraft.

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on April 3 announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis.

In 2013, Glover was first selected as an astronaut while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He most recently served as pilot and second-in command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed May 2, 2021. It is the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. He served as flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64.

A Pomona, Calif.-native, Glover is married to the former Dionna Odom. They have four children. His mother lives in southern California, and his father and stepmother live in Prosper, Texas.