Victor J. Glover Jr. has built a career defined by breaking barriers — on Earth and far beyond it.
The California native, NASA astronaut, and U.S. Navy captain has piloted cutting-edge spacecraft, flown combat missions, and helped usher in a new era of American lunar exploration. His accomplishments have also expanded Black representation in a field where African Americans have historically been underrepresented.
Now, Glover is being recognized as a 2026 BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL IMPACT Award honoree during the 10th Anniversary of XCEL Summit For Men, happening Oct. 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida, joining a group of influential Black men celebrated for leadership, achievement, and impact.
Here are five things to know about the history-making astronaut.
1. He became the first Black astronaut to complete a long-duration spaceflight
Glover made history aboard the International Space Station after launching as pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission in November 2020. He became the first Black astronaut to complete a long-duration spaceflight, spending 168 days in space before returning to Earth on May 2, 2021. During the mission, Glover also participated in four spacewalks and worked on scientific investigations and technology demonstrations.
2. He flew 24 combat missions before becoming an astronaut
Long before traveling into space, Glover established an extensive career as 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. His experience includes piloting and testing the F/A-18 Hornet, Super Hornet, and EA-18G Growler.
3. NASA selected him while he was working in the U.S. Senate
Glover’s path to NASA included an unexpected stop in Washington. He was serving as a legislative fellow in the U.S. Senate when NASA selected him in 2013 as one of eight members of its 21st astronaut class. He completed astronaut candidate training in 2015 before being assigned to his first spaceflight mission three years later.
4. He helped lead humanity back around the moon
Glover added another historic milestone to his résumé on April 1, when he launched as pilot of NASA’s Artemis II mission. The nearly 10-day journey marked the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign and humanity’s first trip around the moon in more than 50 years. Glover and crewmates Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen traveled as far as 252,756 miles from Earth before splashing down off the coast of San Diego on April 10.
5. He received one of the nation’s highest honors for an astronaut
Glover’s contributions to space exploration earned another distinction Aug. 28, when he and his Artemis II crewmates received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The presidential award is the nation’s highest spaceflight honor and is reserved for astronauts whose exceptionally meritorious service advances the welfare of the United States and humanity.
From combat aviation to the International Space Station and the moon, Glover’s career represents more than a collection of historic firsts. His trajectory underscores the expanding possibilities for Black leadership in science, technology, engineering, and space exploration — and the kind of impact the XCEL IMPACT Awards were created to recognize.
Register for the 2026 XCEL Summit for Men here.
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