The Artemis II mission lasted nine or ten days, with the crew flying a total of 694,481 miles, according to official sources. Christina Koch and Victor Glover were the first Black man and first woman to go to the Moon, multiple reports indicate. Koch also set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, and Glover was the first Black astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station, according to those reports.
The first Artemis crew launched on NASA’s SLS rocket at 6:35 p.m. April 1, from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, official sources confirm. The rocket had 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and propelled the crew inside the Orion spacecraft to space, delivering it to orbit with pinpoint accuracy, according to those sources. During the first day in space, the astronauts and teams on the ground checked out the spacecraft — named Integrity by the crew — to confirm all systems were healthy ahead of the transit to the Moon, official sources said. NASA deployed four CubeSats from international partners to Earth orbit, according to those sources.
On the second day of the test flight, Orion’s service module fired its main engine, placing the astronauts on a trajectory that brought them 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach, official sources report. The crew traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, setting a new record distance that surpassed the previous record held by Apollo 13 at 248,655 miles.
The crew lost contact with Earth for about 40 minutes while behind the Moon, multiple reports indicate. During the blackout, the crew had no real-time guidance from Mission Control and relied on onboard systems, according to those reports. The exact impact of this communication loss on mission operations remains unknown.
The crew witnessed a total solar eclipse from the Moon's perspective, multiple reports indicate. They also took images and recorded audio descriptions of the lunar surface during the flyby, according to those reports.
The spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere at speeds around 23,840 mph or 24,000 mph, multiple reports indicate. During reentry, temperatures reached up to 2,760°C (5,000°F). The heat shield was a critical component, and NASA tweaked the descent trajectory after issues in a previous test flight, according to multiple reports. The specific issues that prompted these adjustments have not been disclosed.
The splashdown occurred in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 p.m. PDT Friday. The recovery involved the USS John P. Murtha and military aircraft. After splashdown, the astronauts were met by a combined NASA and U.S. military team that assisted them out of the spacecraft and transported them via helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for initial medical checkouts, according to official sources. The exact findings from these medical evaluations have not been released.
The crew members are expected to return to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, April 11, according to official sources.
Victor Glover was born in Pomona, California, on April 30, 1976, multiple reports indicate. He earned a Bachelor's degree in general engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, according to those reports. Glover became a Naval Aviator in December 2001, multiple reports confirm.
The Artemis program aims to establish a permanent presence on the Moon and Mars, according to NASA. NASA plans to return a crew to the lunar surface by 2028. However, confusion exists about the official naming and timeline of NASA's next lunar mission, with some sources referring to Artemis III as the next mission for lunar landing while others mention Artemis IIII, which could affect public understanding of the program's progression.
China aims to land on the Moon around 2030, multiple reports indicate.
Layla Nicholson is raising money to send her late dad's ashes to space after his name was submitted for the Artemis mission, according to multiple reports. The current status of this fundraising effort is unknown.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated the crew and thanked President Donald Trump and Congress for providing mandate and resources, according to Isaacman. He stated that Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS, and human exploration farther than ever before, according to Isaacman. With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again, Isaacman said. The specific plans and timeline for assembling Artemis III remain unclear.