Meet the Women Launching, Recovering Artemis Missions 

In celebration of Women’s History Month, NASA highlights the multifaceted group of women behind the launch and recovery efforts for Artemis missions. They are a driving force in preparing and planning for crewed missions and are helping inspire the next generation of space explorers – the Artemis Generation. 

On the left is Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and some of the women of the launch team wearing green to symbolize they are “go” for launch. As the agency prepares to return to the Moon under Artemis, the teams in the launch control center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are responsible for launching the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft. The team consists of about 30% women, in contrast to when there was only one woman sitting on launch console during the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission.  

On the right is Artemis Landing and Recovery Director Lili Villarreal during Underway Recovery Test-11. This most recent recovery test marked the first time teams and the Artemis II astronauts practiced the procedures and operations they will undergo after Orion splashes down in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the Artemis II test flight.