For his celebration Women’s History Month, the NASA highlights the multifaceted team of women behind the launch and recovery efforts for the Artemis missions. They are a driving force in the preparation and planning for crewed missions and help inspire the next generation of space explorers – the Artemis generation.

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

At right is Artemis Landing and Recovery Director Lili Villarreal during Underway Recovery Test-11. This most recent recovery test marked the first time that the Artemis II crews and astronauts practiced the procedures and operations they would undergo after Orion’s descent into the Pacific Ocean at the end of the Artemis II test flight.