Artemis 2 astronauts attend Trump's State of the Union address

Four astronauts who will fly around the moon on the first U.S. human lunar spaceflight in more than 50 years were guests at the State of the Union.

The four astronauts who will fly around the moon on the first U.S. human lunar spaceflight in more than 50 years were guests at the State of the Union address.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, were seated among attendees Tuesday, Feb. 24 as President Donald Trump delivered his marathon speech. Though the nearly two-hour speech set a record for State of the Union addresses, Trump did not mention the Artemis 2 mission for which the astronauts were selected.

That mission, the second under NASA's multibillion-dollar program to return astronauts to the moon, is slated for liftoff no earlier than April. Originally targeted for a February launch, Artemis 2 has faced a series of delays due to issues detected on the towering rocket meant to propel the astronauts on their way.

Trump has previously spoken about his desire to see a moon landing before his second term comes to an end. And Artemis 2, which will send the four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon, would help pave the way for a future lunar landing during a follow-up mission.

Here's what to know about Artemis 2, and how the astronauts selected for the mission came to be at the State of the Union.