NASA launched Artemis II mission on April 01, 2026, as a vital crewed test flight to re-establish human presence beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in over 5 decades. The Artemis II astronauts have now ventured farther from Earth than anyone else in the history of humanity. The four astronauts got to view areas of the Moon never before seen by the naked eye. The 10-day lunar flyby Artemis II team broke the previous record set by 1970’s Apollo 13 mission, which they will surpass by approximately 4,105 miles (6,606 kilometers) when they reach this journey’s furthest distance from Earth — 252,760 miles (406,778 kilometers) — later today.
What is Artemis II Mission?
NASA’s Artemis II is the first crewed mission of the Artemis programme. It will be the first time that humans will travel to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 mission in 1972. This mission is carrying four astronauts abroad the Orion spacecraft to validate deep-space life support systems. The crew includes:
- Reid Wiseman (Commander): A NASA veteran and former Chief of the Astronaut Office.
- Victor Glover (Pilot): First person of color to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.
- Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist): A Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, he will be the first non-American to leave Earth’s orbit.
- Christina Koch (Mission Specialist): First woman to travel to the Moon’s vicinity.
Trajectory of the mission
The crew did not land on the moon rather, they are performing a lunar flyby using a free-return trajectory. They are supposed to fly approximately 7,400 km beyond the far side of the moon before using lunar gravity to slingshot back towards earth. A slingshot is known as a Gravity Assist, that is a maneuver where a spacecraft uses the gravity and orbital motion of a planet or moon to change its velocity and path. It will allow the Orion spacecraft to return to Earth without using its main engines to “turn around”.
