On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Artemis II, the 10-day crewed lunar flyby mission launched into space. It lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT. This was the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, which was previously used for the Artemis I mission. The goal of the mission was to fly around the moon and come back to Earth, which they successfully did on April 10 when they landed in the Pacific Ocean.
The crew consisted of four extremely intelligent individuals. The pilot of the spacecraft was Victor Glover, the commander was Reid Wiseman, and the mission specialists were Christina Koch and Jeremy Hanson. Glover, Wiseman, and Koch are all part of NASA, while Hansen is a part of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), making the crew a symbol of international collaboration.
Some of these astronauts have experienced time in space prior to the mission. Koch holds the record for the longest consecutive space flight by a woman, as well as being a part of the first all-female spacewalk. She spent 328 consecutive days in space from March 14, 2019, to Feb. 6, 2020. Additionally, Glover and Wiseman had both spent time on the International Space Station (ISS). The Artemis II mission was Hansen’s first time going to space.
The trip to the moon was quite complicated. The spacecraft used a hybrid “free return” trajectory to get back to Earth. This means that it relied on Earth’s gravity to get back to Earth; however, it also used fuel and some maneuvers, making it a hybrid.
The spacecraft moved in a figure eight pattern around the Earth and the Moon. It started by using fuel to take off, and then orbited the Earth, using its gravity as a slingshot. For four days, they coasted to the Moon. Once they reached the Moon, they used its gravity to pivot them towards Earth, and Earth’s gravity pulled them back down. This method was a fuel-efficient option to return home, as well as a safer choice because if something malfunctions, they can still rely on gravity to get them to Earth, like how Apollo 13 did.
Artemis I launched in 2022, prior to Artemis II as a test run. The purpose of Artemis I was to be a flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems. These systems include the Orion Capsule and Space Launch System rocket. Both of these were tested in Artemis I to help prepare for Artemis II. Adjustments were made after the mission was completed.
The goal of the Artemis missions is to get people on the Moon, conduct scientific research and prepare for human missions to Mars. Artemis III, hopefully taking place in 2027, will be the first mission to put people on the Moon since 1972.
This is what makes Artemis II so significant, as it was the first crewed mission in over 50 years to leave Earth’s orbit and reach deep space. While it isn’t the first spaceship to orbit the Moon, the crew made it the furthest any human has been from Earth, approximately 252,756 miles. The previous record was held by the Apollo 13 mission, which reached 248,655 miles and used a free-return trajectory for its spaceflight.
The Artemis II crew had a successful splashdown on April 10 at 8:07 p.m. EDT. They landed off the coast of San Diego, California, in the Pacific Ocean. The impressive feat started with the capsule reentry. The spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:53 p.m. at an altitude of 400,000 ft. From there, the capsule descended, reaching speeds of 25,000 mph and temperatures of 4,000-5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The capsule was able to withstand the excessive heat due to the heat shield made of Avcoat, which melts away as the temperature increases. This was adjusted for Artemis II, as the coat for Artemis I deteriorated too quickly. The alteration worked, for the loss of the shield had been significantly reduced compared to Artemis I when checked after the mission.
Once the capsule reached 22,000 ft, the drogue parachutes were deployed. At 6,000 ft, the main parachutes were released, which reduced the speed of the capsule to 20 mph before the splashdown. The crew exited the capsule around 90 minutes after. Koch exited first, followed by the rest of the crew. They were then hoisted into a U.S. Navy helicopter and taken to the recovery ship. The crew was in good health upon their return to Earth.
The mission was very successful and set numerous records. It is an inspiration for future missions, as well as a large step forward in space exploration.
