The Artemis II mission was a total success, with the capsule splashing down exactly where NASA had planned, according to NASA officials. On day six of their mission, Artemis II reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking the Apollo 13 record. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the moon mission 'perfect' and declared America's intention to begin work on a successful moon landing and construction of a lunar base by 2028.
The Artemis II mission began on April 1 with a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During the flight, the astronauts named two new craters discovered on the lunar surface, though the names and locations of these craters have not been disclosed. The specific tasks or experiments the Artemis II crew conducted during their lunar flyby remain unknown, as does the exact timeline for NASA's plan to achieve a moon landing and construct a lunar base by 2028.
We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This is just the beginning.
Astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth on Friday after completing a historic flyby around the moon, according to major media reports. Christina Koch shared a video of her dog Sadie welcoming her home after her space trip, with major media noting she expressed happiness about the reunion. In another social media post, she added that Sadie taught her about being an emotional support animal, which she found unexpectedly useful.
The exact duration of Koch's nearly 10-day trip to space, such as the precise number of days and hours, has not been confirmed, and the current health and post-mission status of the Artemis II astronauts after their return to Earth are also unknown.