A new chapter in human spaceflight is underway. The Artemis II mission is taking astronauts farther from Earth than any humans have traveled before.
This is the first crewed mission toward the Moon since the Apollo era ended in 1972. The team includes three Americans and one Canadian, marking a major step in international space collaboration.
The mission is expected to surpass the distance record set during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. That mission reached 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth after an in-flight emergency forced astronauts to loop around the Moon and return safely.
Artemis II will follow a similar path but is expected to go more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers) beyond that record.
During the mission, the astronauts will fly around the Moon without landing. At their closest point, they will come within about 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) of the lunar surface.
The crew will take turns observing the Moon during the flyby. Working in pairs, they will capture images using professional cameras and personal devices. They will also describe what they see in real time to Mission Control.
Because of the launch timing, the Moon’s far side will not be fully lit. Still, NASA experts say the astronauts will be able to see parts of the far side that were difficult to observe during earlier missions, including sections of the Orientale Basin.
A rare moment awaits the crew during the flyby — a total solar eclipse. This event will not be visible from Earth. From the spacecraft, astronauts will be able to observe the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona. They will also monitor for unusual solar activity while using protective eclipse glasses.
The mission will also include a communication blackout. When the Orion spacecraft moves behind the Moon, contact with Earth will be lost for about 40 minutes. This is expected and similar to what happened during Apollo missions.
After completing the flyby, Artemis II will begin its return journey. The trip back to Earth will take around four days, ending with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.
During the return, the crew will communicate with astronauts aboard the International Space Station. This is the first time a Moon mission crew and a space station crew will be in space at the same time.
Artemis II is an important step toward future missions that aim to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.