Cantwell Speaks Live to Artemis II Crew

Cantwell Speaks Live to Artemis II Crew

SEATTLE, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, spoke to the Artemis II crew from her Seattle office as they return from their mission around the moon.

A full transcript of Sen. Cantwell's exchange with the crew is below:

Sen. Cantwell: "Hi. Congratulations to NASA and the Artemis team. I want you to know I spoke to Anne McClain earlier today, and she said the Eight Balls [A.K.A. NASA Astronaut Class of 2013] are all incredibly proud of you.

"This mission is a major investment in science and a testament to human achievement. The Orion thrusters were built here in the State of Washington. And I invite you all to come and see the innovation and the people that you've inspired.

"My question is: As Americans who've traveled the farthest and seen direct observations that are proving so invaluable once we go back and land humans on the moon, what are we going to learn from the human eye that the moon rovers couldn't tell us?"

Victor Glover: "You know, I hope this really resonates because of right now and what's going on back there, at least what we hear about going on back home and in our communities. I think you all can feel the energy that this mission has brought. I really hope so.

"And one of the things that I was asked to talk about when I come back by one of my good friends, Tony Antonelli, he said, 'I want to know how it feels. There's going to be tons of pictures, but I want to know how it feels.'

"And I think a rover can collect data a lot slower, but the human is going to be able to do it much faster. But then they're also going to come back and tell you how it feels, physiologically, in a technical and medical sense, but also in an emotional sense, so that we can continue to have that human connection. Not just the scientific and exploration, but the human connection."

Last week, Sen. Cantwell toured two of the dozens of Washington state companies that are supplying NASA's Artemis Mission - Karman Space & Defense in Mukilteo, and L3Harris in Redmond.

READ MORE:

The Seattle Times: Washington's space economy powers the Artemis II moonshot

KIRO 7: Artemis II: Washington's hand in the upcoming historic flight around the moon

GeekWire: Watch NASA count down to the launch of humanity's first moon voyage in nearly 54 years

Sen. Cantwell has been a champion for our nation's space industry and its aerospace workforce, and currently oversees NASA and the space industry as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee. Last month, Sen. Cantwell led bipartisan, unanimous passage through the Commerce Committee of the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, which confirms support for the Artemis missions.

Fact Sheet: Washington's Space Economy and Sen. Cantwell's Support for the Artemis Program

Karman Space & Defense is a manufacturer of mission-critical subsystems for launch vehicles, spacecraft, and hypersonic systems. The company's Mukilteo campus produces components for the Orion capsule that is flying on the Artemis II mission. This includes the capsule's propellant-drive hatch release mechanisms, which allow for crew egress from the capsule in the event of emergency, and forward bay cover thrusters, which expose the capsule's parachutes and allows them to deploy after reentry. Karman also has facilities in Arlington and Skagit. Altogether, more than 500 Karman employees work in Washington state. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw two systems which are flying on the Artemis II mission, including mission-critical safety systems. Sen. Cantwell also discussed how Karman's leading-edge composites are used in space programs.

L3Harris specializes in rocket propulsion, holding contracts to provide many of the thrusters used on Artemis. The company's Redmond facility has manufactured spacecraft thrusters for NASA since 1968 and has supported famous missions such as Viking and Voyager. More than 400 employees work at the Redmond campus. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw replicas of the 21 thrusters that will be used to return the four astronauts on Artemis II safely back to Earth.

Artemis II is the first crewed flight of the Artemis missions, designed to confirm that the SLS rocket and Orion space vehicle operate as designed with crew onboard in a deep space environment. The crew will spend a total of 10 days in space and have already completed a lunar flyby, reaching the farthest point humans have ever traveled, before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

• NASA's livestream of today's exchange is available HERE
• Video showing Sen. Cantwell as she spoke to the astronauts from her Seattle office is available HERE
• All media assets from last week's tours are available HERE
• Video of the Karman (Mukilteo) tour is available HERE; photos HERE
• Video of the L3Harris (Redmond) presentation is available HERE; photos HERE
• A transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks at L3Harris is HERE
• A fact sheet on Washington's space economy and Sen. Cantwell's support for Artemis program is HERE.

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