Artemis II crew heads to earth after setting lunar distance record

The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission is returning to Earth after completing a landmark journey around the Moon, traveling farther into space than any humans ever have.

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth, breaking the record previously held by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

This mission marks the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft under the Artemis programme, a critical step toward returning humans to the Moon in the coming years.

Speaking during the return journey, Wiseman said the crew “saw sights that no human has ever seen”, while Glover added that there are “no adjectives” to fully describe the experience.

During the fly-by, the spacecraft passed behind the moon, leading to a temporary loss of communication with NASA that lasted about 40 minutes.

When contact was restored, Koch said: “It is so great to hear from earth again.”

The astronauts also witnessed a total solar eclipse from their spacecraft, spending about an hour observing and documenting the rare event from deep space.

The milestone mission has drawn global attention, with US President Donald Trump commending the crew for their achievement.

“You have made history and made all America really proud,” Trump said in a brief call with the astronauts, while also inviting them to the White House upon their return.

The Artemis II crew is expected to complete the mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States on Friday.

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