Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Artemis II astronauts complete historic moon flyby mission

The Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft, completed a historic lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, breaking the Apollo 13 distance record by reaching approximately 406,773 km (252,760 miles) from Earth. The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — became the first humans to enter the lunar sphere of influence in over 50 years. The 10-day mission, launched April 1 from Kennedy Space Center, serves as a crewed test of the Orion spacecraft ahead of future Artemis lunar landing missions.