Artemis II crew head home after record-breaking journey, witnessing solar eclipse and travelling farther from Earth than any humans before.
- +Artemis II Crew Head Home After Record-Breaking Journey Beyond Earth
The crew of Artemis II is heading back to Earth after completing a historic mission that saw them travel farther into space than any humans before.
The crew of Artemis II is heading back to Earth after completing a historic mission that saw them travel farther into space than any humans before.
The astronauts reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth during their lunar flyby, surpassing the previous record and marking a major milestone in human space exploration.
Commander Reid Wiseman described the experience as unprecedented, saying the crew “saw sights that no human has ever seen,” while pilot Victor Glover added that there are “no adjectives” to fully capture what they observed.
During the mission, the crew also witnessed a rare total solar eclipse from their Orion spacecraft, offering a unique vantage point far beyond Earth.
At one point, communication with NASA was temporarily lost as the spacecraft passed behind the moon. The blackout, which lasted about 40 minutes, was expected due to signal obstruction.
“It is so great to hear from Earth again,” said mission specialist Christina Koch as contact was restored.
The mission has drawn praise from Donald Trump, who told the astronauts they had “made history and made all America really proud” and invited them to the White House.
The Artemis II crew is scheduled to complete their journey with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States at 20:07 eastern US time on Friday (01:07 BST Saturday).
