NASA has announced a backup astronaut for the Artemis 2 mission which will take off in 2025. Andre Douglas has been selected as the sixth member of the Moon mission team and he will train with his colleagues in case his service is required.

Douglas is joining four members of Artemis 2 which includes- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch (from NASA) and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

One of our @NASA_Astronauts, Andre Douglas (@Astro_AndreD), has been selected as the backup crew member for the #Artemis II mission around the Moon.

Douglas will train alongside the rest of the crew and will fill in if needed. https://t.co/cIsb1xim3e pic.twitter.com/rEVCLnA5ap — NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) July 3, 2024

Joe Acaba, chief astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, said Douglas's educational background and experience before joining NASA makes him ready for this mission.

"He excelled in his astronaut candidate training and technical assignments, and we are confident he will continue to do so as NASA’s backup crew member for Artemis II," Acaba said.

Douglas was selected by the space agency in 2021. He has degrees in mechanical engineering and has experience of working as a US Coast Guard architect. He has also worked at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab on maritime robotics, planetary defense, and space exploration missions.

Prior to Douglas, Jenni Gibbons was selected as the backup by Canadian Space Agency in case Hansen had to step down from the mission.

Artemis 2 is targeted for launch in September 2025. Four astronauts will take a trip around the Moon to test the Orion spacecraft's systems and return without landing after 10 days.

NASA clarified that selection of the backup astronauts is independent of those for Artemis 3 mission. Targeted for launch in September 2026, Artemis 3 will see humans walk on the Moon after more than five decades and include a woman and the first person of colour.