Let's just be real for a second. If you’re searching for who is the first woman on the moon, you might be expecting a name like Neil Armstrong’s, but for a woman. You're looking for that "one small step" moment. But here is the actual, unvarnished truth: as of today, no woman has walked on the lunar surface.
Zero. None.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. We sent twelve men to the moon between 1969 and 1972 during the Apollo program. Since then? Nobody has been back. Not a single person. For over fifty years, the lunar dust has sat undisturbed by human boots. This isn't because women weren't capable or weren't interested. It’s a messy mix of 1960s geopolitics, rigid social structures of the era, and the fact that NASA basically hit the "pause" button on deep space exploration for decades to focus on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS).
But things are changing. Finally.
The Artemis Program: Identifying the first woman on the moon
NASA isn't just planning to go back; they are literally building the rocket right now. It's called the Artemis program. If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll know that Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the moon. The naming isn't an accident. It's a very deliberate signal that this time, the mission is inclusive.
So, while we can't give you a past-tense name, we can look at the pool of people who are currently training to be the first woman on the moon. This isn't some vague "maybe" anymore. NASA has already named the "Artemis Team," a group of highly decorated astronauts who are the primary candidates for these missions.
Christina Koch is currently the frontrunner in the public eye. Why? Because she’s already been tapped for the Artemis II mission. She won't be landing on the moon during that specific flight—Artemis II is a flyby, meaning they go around the moon and come back—but it puts her in the literal driver's seat for the following mission, Artemis III, which is the actual landing. Koch already holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days). She’s an engineer, she’s tough, and she’s already made history.
Then there’s Jessica Meir. You might remember her from the first all-female spacewalk back in 2019. She’s a physiologist, a diver, and she’s spent a massive amount of time in extreme environments. When people ask who is the first woman on the moon likely to be, her name is always at the top of the list.
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Why did it take so long?
It's frustrating. Honestly, it’s beyond frustrating. In the early 1960s, there was actually a group called the "Mercury 13." These were thirteen female pilots who underwent the same grueling physical and psychological tests as the original Mercury 7 astronauts. They passed. In some cases, they actually performed better than the men, particularly in sensory deprivation and stress tests.
But the "rules" back then were rigged. To be an astronaut, you had to be a military jet test pilot. At the time, the military didn't allow women to be test pilots. It was a classic Catch-22. Jerrie Cobb, one of the leaders of the Mercury 13, even testified before Congress in 1962. She argued that "there is no proof that women are not as capable as men" in space. She was right, but the gatekeepers didn't care.
The Soviet Union actually beat the U.S. to the punch by sending Valentina Tereshkova into orbit in 1963. But even that was mostly a propaganda stunt. After her flight, it took another 19 years for the Soviets to send another woman into space. It wasn't about equality; it was about checking a box.
The technical hurdles for Artemis III
Landing on the moon isn't as simple as just "doing it again." We lost a lot of the institutional knowledge from the 70s. The Saturn V rocket is a museum piece now. To get the first woman on the moon, NASA had to develop the Space Launch System (SLS), which is the most powerful rocket ever built.
They also had to hire SpaceX.
Elon Musk’s company is building the Starship HLS (Human Landing System). This is the vehicle that will actually undock from the Orion capsule in lunar orbit and carry the astronauts down to the surface. It's a complex dance.
- The SLS launches the crew.
- The Orion capsule carries them to the moon.
- Starship meets them there.
- Two astronauts transfer to Starship to land.
If everything goes according to plan—and "plans" in aerospace are always subject to delays—we are looking at a landing within the next few years. The target has shifted from 2024 to 2025, and now likely 2026 or 2027. Space is hard.
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Life on the lunar south pole
When the first woman on the moon finally steps out of that lander, she won't be at the "Sea of Tranquility" where Armstrong landed. She’ll be at the Lunar South Pole. This area is pitch black in some spots and blindingly bright in others. It's rugged. It's cold.
The reason we’re going there is water. Scientists found ice in the "permanently shadowed regions" of craters at the poles. Water means oxygen. It means hydrogen for rocket fuel. It means the moon could become a gas station for missions to Mars.
The candidates you should know
Beyond Koch and Meir, there are several other women in the astronaut corps who are essentially "Moon Ready."
Anne McClain is a West Point graduate and an Army colonel who flew scout helicopters in Iraq. She’s got that "test pilot" energy that NASA loves. Then there’s Nicole Mann, a member of the Wailaki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who became the first Indigenous woman in space. She’s a Marine Corps colonel and a F/A-18 fighter pilot.
When you look at these resumes, it's clear. We aren't sending "the first woman" just because she's a woman. We're sending some of the most qualified, over-achieving humans in the history of the species.
Modern space suits: One size does not fit all
One of the weirdest reasons for recent delays in the quest to find out who is the first woman on the moon was actually... clothes. The old Apollo suits were designed for men. They were bulky, stiff, and honestly, pretty dangerous. For years, NASA struggled with "suit sizing" issues.
Axiom Space is now designing the next-generation suits. These "Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Units" (AxEMU) are designed to fit a much wider range of body types—from the 1st to the 99th percentile of the population. They have better joints, better boots for walking (rather than hopping), and they can handle the jagged, glass-like lunar dust (regolith) that chewed up the old Apollo gear.
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What this means for the future
This isn't just about a trophy or a line in a history book. Putting the first woman on the moon is about sustainable exploration. The Artemis missions are designed to build a "Gateway" station in lunar orbit. Think of it like a mini-ISS that stays near the moon.
This is the blueprint for Mars.
If we can't figure out how to keep a diverse crew healthy and productive on the moon for a few weeks, we have no hope of sending people to Mars on a three-year round trip. The moon is our proving ground.
Common misconceptions about women in space
People often ask: "Can women handle the radiation?" or "Is the lack of gravity harder on female bone density?"
The data from the ISS—where women like Peggy Whitson have spent cumulative years—shows that humans are humans. There are slight differences in how the body reacts to microgravity (men tend to have more vision issues, women sometimes have more issues with fainting upon return), but nothing that precludes women from being elite lunar explorers.
The idea that women were "too fragile" for space was a myth debunked by the Mercury 13 in 1961. It just took the rest of the world 60 years to catch up.
Actionable steps to follow the mission
If you want to stay updated on the progress of the Artemis missions and the selection of the crew, don't just wait for the evening news. The information moves fast.
- Track the Artemis II Mission: This is the crewed flyby. Once this mission launches and returns safely, NASA will likely announce the specific crew for Artemis III—the actual landing.
- Follow the Astronaut Corps: Names like Christina Koch, Jessica Meir, and Anne McClain are active on social media. They often share training footage from the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (the giant pool where they practice moonwalks).
- Watch the Starship Tests: Since SpaceX's Starship is the lunar lander, the progress of their launches in Boca Chica, Texas, is the biggest indicator of when the moon landing will happen. If Starship isn't ready, the woman on the moon has to wait.
- Check the NASA SLS Launch Schedule: The Space Launch System is the "bus" that gets the astronauts to lunar orbit. Any delay in the rocket's production delays the historic moment.
The question of who is the first woman on the moon will soon have a definitive, name-and-face answer. It’s an exciting time to be looking at the stars. We are moving past the era of "firsts" and into the era of "everyone."
The next person to leave a footprint in the lunar dust won't be a man repeating history; she’ll be a scientist, a pilot, and an explorer making a brand new kind of history for the entire planet. Keep your eyes on the Artemis III mission updates. That is where the answer lies.