A Cal Poly graduate will pilot the upcoming mission to the moon. What to know
A Cal Poly alumnus will soon pilot the first manned mission around the moon since 1972.
Victor Glover, a NASA astronaut and 1999 graduate of Cal Poly, was selected in 2023 as one of four astronauts slated to man the upcoming Artemis II lunar mission.
Glover became a NASA astronaut in 2013 and previously piloted the SpaceX Crew-1 trip to the International Space Station, according to his NASA bio.
Now, he’s preparing for another trip to space, where he will join fellow NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a trip around the moon.
It’ll mark the first time humans have launched to the moon in over 50 years, according to the Kennedy Space Center.
Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said in a statement that Glover is an inspiration to the university.
“We are incredibly proud of Victor Glover — he inspires the entire Cal Poly community,” Armstrong wrote. “He is a leader with character, integrity and excellence and is a shining example of what it means to be a Cal Poly graduate.”
Armstrong said Glover had credited Cal Poly for giving him the “resilience, adaptability and problem-solving mindset” that he carries with him as he pilots missions to space.
Armstrong added that Glover is a committed alumnus of the university — and his daughters are carrying on that legacy by attending Cal Poly themselves.
The Tribune reported in 2024 that Glover had three daughters enrolled in San Luis Obispo, with another expected to enroll.
“We join Victor’s family and the entire country in cheering him on as he pilots this exciting Artemis mission,” Armstrong concluded.
The Artemis II mission was first slated to launch as early as this week, but NASA has since pushed the launch date to March after crews encountered problems during a pre-launch test, the agency announced Tuesday.
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