NASA announced that Victor Glover, a former Cal Poly football player and wrestler, is piloting the historic Artemis II mission to the moon this week.
The 49-year-old astronaut played one season with the Mustangs at the Division I-AA level before pursuing his space career.
“This is truly my original launch pad,” Glover said, via the Cal Poly official website. “Cal Poly is the reason that I’ve been able to do some amazing things.”
Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed lunar flight in more than 50 years. The 10-day mission carries four astronauts and serves as a critical test for the agency’s broader space exploration plans.
Glover is making history as the first Black astronaut to travel around the moon, according to CNN.
The mission focuses on confirming logistics and systems needed for NASA’s goal of landing on the moon again in 2028. Each step of Artemis II prepares the agency for that eventual lunar landing.
Victor Glover Sr. spoke about watching his son’s journey unfold.
“He’s been working hard along with the rest of the crew for the last three years getting ready for this, and now it’s really here,” Glover’s father told CNN. “That’s been the part we’ve been trying to absorb… the time is finally here for this to happen, and we’re all excited to have the chance to witness it.”
The former Mustang wrestler brings his competitive background to one of NASA’s most important missions in decades.
If Glover dreamed of being both a football player and an astronaut as a kid, he’s now accomplished both goals.
