Veteran Artemis II astronauts move into NASA emeritus roles to guide future Moon missions

Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman, who piloted the Artemis II mission that carried humans around the Moon for the first time in over five decades, have transitioned to emeritus status at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The emeritus program lets senior astronauts remain engaged as volunteer consultants, sharing their Orion and deep-space operational knowledge while gaining flexibility for external pursuits. Administrator Jared Isaacman highlighted their leadership and commitment, noting their role in preparing Artemis III, slated for 2027, and subsequent lunar flights.

Both astronauts expressed enthusiasm for continuing to support training, mentorship and mission planning. NASA officials emphasized that their contributions will persist across the astronaut corps, engineering teams and flight control as the agency advances the Artemis program toward Artemis IV in 2028.