What does it take to go farther than anyone has gone before? For NASA astronaut, engineer, Naval Aviator and test pilot Victor Glover, that question isn’t hypothetical. In April 2026, Glover piloted NASA’s historic Artemis II mission around the Moon, helping return humanity to the lunar environment for the first time in more than half a century. In the process, Victor Glover became the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low-Earth orbit, adding another historic achievement to an extraordinary career built on preparation, teamwork, courage and a willingness to venture into the unknown. Today, Glover brings those experiences to audiences on Earth, sharing powerful lessons about leadership, teamwork, innovation, resilience and what becomes possible when people work together toward an ambitious goal.
Who Is Victor Glover?
Victor Glover is a NASA astronaut, engineer, recently retired U.S. Navy Captain, combat veteran and one of the most accomplished explorers of his generation. Long before traveling to the Moon, Glover established an extraordinary aviation career. A Naval Aviator and test pilot, he accumulated approximately 4,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, completed more than 400 carrier-arrested landings and flew 24 combat missions. NASA selected Glover as an astronaut in 2013. His first journey into space came aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience in 2020, when he served as pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission. He subsequently spent 168 days aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expeditions 64 and 65 and completed four spacewalks. That mission made Glover the first Black astronaut to live and work aboard the International Space Station for an extended mission. But an even more historic journey was still ahead.
Victor Glover Makes History on Artemis II
On April 1, 2026, Victor Glover launched aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft as pilot of Artemis II alongside Commander Reid Wiseman, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission represented humanity’s return to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. For Glover personally, it represented another historic first: Victor Glover became the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.During the nearly 10-day mission, the Artemis II crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth at its farthest point, venturing farther into space than any humans in history before safely splashing down off the coast of San Diego on April 10. The mission wasn’t simply about setting records. Artemis II tested the people, spacecraft, technology and procedures necessary for humanity’s next era of lunar exploration. For Glover, it was also the culmination of decades spent preparing for difficult assignments—from combat missions and carrier landings to experimental test flying, spacewalks and eventually piloting a spacecraft around the Moon.
Victor Glover at Cal Poly: Artemis II and the Future of Space Exploration
Shortly after returning from the Moon, Glover returned to his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to share the experience with a packed audience. In this presentation, he discusses the historic mission while reflecting on leadership, exploration, education and the future of human spaceflight. His journey also brings his story full circle. Glover graduated from Cal Poly in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in general engineering, where he was also a student-athlete competing in football and wrestling. The lessons he learned through Cal Poly’s “Learn by Doing” philosophy followed him from the classroom to military aviation, NASA and ultimately deep space.
Watch: Victor Glover at Cal Poly | Artemis II and the Future of Space Exploration
From Monterey to the Moon
Glover’s remarkable career was also the focus of his June 16, 2026 Secretary of the Navy Guest Lecture at the Naval Postgraduate School. Appropriately titled From Monterey to the Moon, the presentation brought Glover back to another institution that helped shape his career. Glover earned a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School and went on to become a distinguished alumnus. His career would eventually take him from flying fighter jets and testing sophisticated aircraft to serving aboard the International Space Station and piloting Artemis II around the Moon.
Watch: SGL with U.S. Navy Capt. Victor Glover — From Monterey to the Moon
Both appearances demonstrate why Glover’s story translates so naturally to the keynote stage. He doesn’t simply talk about reaching the Moon. He can explain the years of education, preparation, setbacks, teamwork, discipline and calculated risk required before the rocket ever leaves the launchpad.
Going Beyond the Moon: Lessons for Today’s Leaders
Very few leaders will ever pilot a spacecraft around the Moon, but the challenges that made Artemis II possible are surprisingly relevant to organizations on Earth.
- How do teams prepare for something they have never done before?
- How do leaders make critical decisions when the stakes are extraordinarily high?
- How do people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise develop the trust necessary to accomplish a mission that none of them could achieve alone?
- And how do organizations create cultures where preparation, innovation and courage allow people to push beyond what was previously thought possible?
Victor Glover has lived those questions. His experiences encompass military leadership, combat aviation, engineering, test piloting, government service, NASA, the International Space Station and deep-space exploration. Across each chapter, the common denominators have been preparation, adaptability, teamwork, communication and trust. That makes Glover’s story much more than an astronaut story. It is a leadership story.
Victor Glover Begins His Next Chapter
Following his historic Artemis II mission, Glover is entering a new phase of his career. In September 2026, NASA announced that Glover would transition to emeritus astronaut status, allowing him to continue supporting the agency through mentorship and sharing his technical and professional expertise while pursuing new opportunities. At the same time, Glover has returned to Cal Poly in a full-time leadership position, where he will advise university leadership and help advance strategic initiatives, partnerships and philanthropy. It is a fitting next chapter for someone whose career has consistently combined exploration with education, leadership and service. Glover has traveled farther from Earth than nearly anyone in human history. Now he has an opportunity to use that perspective to help others think differently about where they—and their organizations—can go next.
Victor Glover as a Keynote Speaker
Victor Glover offers audiences something extraordinarily rare: firsthand lessons from the frontier of human exploration combined with decades of experience in leadership, engineering, military aviation and high-performance teamwork. From flying combat missions and landing fighter jets on aircraft carriers to conducting spacewalks and piloting Artemis II around the Moon, Glover understands what it takes to prepare for the unknown, perform under pressure and trust a team when failure isn’t an option. His presentations can inspire corporate leaders, associations, universities, technology organizations, engineering groups and leadership conferences to think bigger about innovation, teamwork, resilience, purpose and achieving seemingly impossible goals. Most importantly, Victor Glover can remind audiences that going farther begins long before the destination—it begins with preparation, purpose, teamwork and the courage to take the next step.
Book Victor Glover for Your Next Event
Victor Glover’s journey from engineer and Naval Aviator to NASA astronaut and historic Artemis II pilot makes him one of today’s most compelling voices on leadership, exploration, innovation and human potential. Organizations looking to bring the perspective of the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low-Earth orbit to their audiences can book Victor Glover for keynote speaking engagements through Speakers.com. Contact Speakers.com to learn more about Victor Glover’s availability and bring the lessons of Artemis II—and a truly historic journey beyond the Moon—to your next event.