Artemis II mission makes history with lunar flyby, historic distance
The Artemis II moon mission conducts a historic lunar flyby, pushing boundaries of human deep space travel. The crew will soon surpass Apollo 13’s flight distance record, becoming the farthest humans from Earth. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick emphasizes this mission as a crucial step for future interplanetary journeys, aiming for a permanent lunar base by 2028. Global excitement builds for space exploration.
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President Donald Trump is set to honor four astronauts who traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history during a record-breaking journey around the moon earlier this year.
Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen during an Aug. 28 ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency announced.
The four made history in April aboard Artemis II, the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the first mission to take astronauts around the moon in more than half a century.
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Artemis II crew NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, left, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen in the White House Oval Office with President Donald Trump. (White House via NASA)
At their farthest point, the crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the human spaceflight distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, according to NASA. The astronauts covered 695,081 miles during their nearly 10-day mission.
Their voyage began April 1, when NASA’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with 8.8 million pounds of thrust. After testing Orion’s systems in space, the crew headed toward the moon and passed within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface during an April 6 flyby, NASA said.
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The Artemis II crew, Commander Reid Wiseman, left, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen as they answer media questions during a video conference, April 8. (NASA via AP)
The astronauts captured more than 7,000 images along the way, including views of earthrise and earthset, lunar craters, ancient lava flows and a solar eclipse seen from Orion. NASA said the crew also reported meteoroid impact flashes on the moon’s night side.
Orion returned to Earth on April 10, entering the atmosphere at roughly 25,000 mph before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off California.
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The Artemis II crew is honored during the welcome home ceremony April 11 in Houston. (KRIV)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said after the crew’s return that the astronauts had accepted “significant risk” while testing the spacecraft and systems intended to carry future crews deeper into space.
The medal they will receive has roots in the Apollo era. Congress authorized the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1969, declaring that America’s space program relied on the “intelligence, the dedication, the bravery, and the self-sacrifice” of astronauts who flew missions into the “hostile environment of space.”
Under the law, the president may award the medal in the name of Congress to astronauts who distinguish themselves through exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and mankind.
NASA says the medal has been awarded to only a “very select group” of astronauts. Its official list includes 30 recipients, among them Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell. Armstrong was among six astronauts who received the medal from President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 1, 1978, according to NASA.
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In this image provided by NASA, the Artemis II crew captured this view as the Earth sets behind the Moon during a lunar flyby, April 6. (NASA via AP)
The four Artemis II astronauts would bring the number of recipients to 34.
Artemis II also served as a stepping stone toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA said the crew tested Orion’s life-support systems, manually piloted the spacecraft and gathered data intended to prepare for future missions.
NASA plans to test commercial lunar lander operations during Artemis III in low Earth orbit in 2027 and is targeting Artemis IV for the program’s first lunar landing in 2028.
The agency says Artemis ultimately aims to establish an enduring human presence on the moon and lay the groundwork for sending astronauts to Mars.
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, left, Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, Artemis II pilot Victor Glover and Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen look at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square in New York City, April 30. (Adam Gray / AFP via Getty Images)
“The NASA leadership team was in Mission Control, alongside the flight control team, watching as the Artemis II crew crossed that historic threshold and became the explorers that ventured farthest from Earth,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said to Digital in a statement.
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“Certainly, the astronauts were aware and monitoring their spacecraft systems. Under President Trump’s leadership, Artemis II captivated the world, inspired a generation, and gave us the confidence to press on as America returns to the Moon to build a base and to stay. Artemis III is the next mission up in that campaign, but it will be in 2028 during Artemis IV, when NASA astronauts will once again walk on the Moon.”
The White House did not immediately respond to Digital’s request for comment.
