Moon talk: NASA astronaut speaks to Boeing team

Four months ago, NASA announced the Artemis II crew – the first astronaut crew to return to lunar orbit in more than 50 years.

On Wednesday, August 9, Boeing Exploration Systems teammates virtually met with NASA Astronaut and Artemis II pilot, Victor Glover, in a fireside chat moderated by Boeing’s chief astronaut, Chris Ferguson. The pair talked about Glover’s experiences in training for space missions, what the Artemis missions means to him and the valuable impact Team Boeing has on America’s deep space exploration objectives.

“It is clear to us how hard you all are working to make a vehicle we can trust. I speak for the Artemis II crew when I say this – we are grateful for you.” Glover shared – beaming with appreciation. “Your handprints will be all over that vehicle and riding with us. You will be wingmen and wingwomen in our minds and hearts. We appreciate your service. Thank you for what you do!”

The Artemis II mission is currently slated to launch at the end of 2024. A historic mission of sending the first female and person of color to lunar orbit, it will be a lunar fly-by mission around the moon to continue testing the capabilities and functionalities of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket – the nation’s next-generation, human-rated rocket – will enable NASA’s Artemis program and will carry people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond. Boeing was selected by NASA to design, develop, test and produce the core stages, upper stages, and avionics suite for the SLS fleet of rockets. The first SLS rocket – featuring the Boeing-built Core Stage – successfully launched at 1:47 AM ET on November 16, 2022, as part of the Artemis I Mission. Production is currently underway for the Boeing-built core stages, upper stages (including Exploration Upper Stage) and avionics for future Artemis missions.