Where Will American Astronauts Go In 2024. The four astronauts aboard artemis ii will be the first humans to return to the vicinity of the moon since 1972. The mission will launch four astronauts around the moon.

Only two astronauts per mission will descend to the surface of the moon, while the remaining two will only orbit the moon in either the orion spacecraft or a small. To have any hope of hitting those marks, the agency has had to shift into high gear.