NASA launched four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on April 1 as a part of Artemis II, a mission to orbit the moon and return to Earth.
The mission is the first time humans have traveled this far from Earth since the Apollo era and marks the first participation of a Canadian astronaut in a lunar mission.
The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
“Artemis II is the start of something bigger than any one mission. It marks our return to the moon, not just to visit, but to eventually stay on our moon base, and lays the foundation for the next giant leaps ahead,” Jared Isaacman, a NASA administrator, said in a press release.
Artemis II will not land on the surface of the moon, however. Instead, the mission is designed to validate the spacecraft’s ability to safely carry humans beyond Earth’s orbit and back, securing the success of future lunar landings.
On April 6, during a planned lunar flyby, the crew passed behind the moon. During this time, astronauts captured images and conducted observations of the moon’s far side, becoming the first humans in decades to observe regions not visible from Earth.
According to NASA, the crew documented impact craters, ancient lava flows and surface fractures, helping scientists better understand the moon’s geologic evolution. They also monitored variations in color, brightness and texture across the terrain. The flyby provided rare visual events, including an “earthset” and “earthrise,” as well as views of a solar eclipse from space, allowing astronauts to photograph the sun’s corona.
The mission also includes scientific investigations focused on human health in deep space, including the AVATAR study, which examines how astronauts physically and cognitively respond to long-duration spaceflight. Data collected during Artemis II will inform safety protocols and mission planning for future crews traveling deeper into space.
During the flight, the crew surpassed the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, reaching 248,655 miles, according to NASA. The astronauts also proposed names for two lunar craters: “Integrity,” in honor of their spacecraft and “Carroll,” commemorating Wiseman’s late wife.
The crew is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego on April 10 at 8:07 p.m.