On Apr. 1, 2026, the crew of Artemis II launched into space, departing from the Kennedy Space Center. The goal of the mission, which was first initiated in 2017, was to test the systems and operations of the spacecraft and help pave the way for future missions and further advancements in space exploration. The crew eventually splashed back down to Earth on Apr. 10, 2026, concluding their 10-day trip around the Moon.
The Artemis II mission was the first manned mission to the Moon since Apollo 13 touched down in December 1972. Not only is this a major feat in itself, but the crew members also made history during their time in space. The crew was made up of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
Koch is the first woman to travel to the Moon, and she also previously made history by spending 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS), breaking the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. On that same mission, she also participated in the first all-women spacewalk.
Pilot Glover also made history as the first African-American astronaut to travel to the Moon, and he had also previously spent 164 days in orbit aboard the ISS, where he participated in four spacewalks.
Additionally, Hansen, a Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut, made history as the first Canadian– and the first non-American–man to travel to the Moon.
The flight that the Artemis II crew embarked on would take them 252,760 miles from the Earth as they raced to, and orbited around, the Moon. This is the farthest from Earth that humans have ever travelled, with Artemis II’s record surpassing that of Apollo 13, which travelled 248,655 miles from Earth.
While history was made out in space, new milestones were accomplished back here on Earth, as well.
Down on the ground, at NASA’s Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, the world witnessed an unprecedented amount of representation for women and girls. Thanks to the efforts of women like Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the first woman launch director, and Vanessa Wyche, the Johnson Space Center’s first African-American woman director, the Artemis II mission was able to successfully launch, travel, and return to Earth safely.
Also spotted at mission control were CSA’s Jenni Gibbons and NASA’s Chris Birch, both women astronauts, as they spoke directly to the crew of Artemis II. NASA’s Public Affairs Officer Leah Cheshier Mustachio was also seen at mission control as she captured the moments of the mission through her YouTube Live stream.
As we continue to develop our knowledge and understanding of space travel and dive further into the great unknown, we continue to hit new milestones that help advance us into a new age of space exploration. As history continues to be made and records continue to be broken, it’s the especially monumental moments like the mission of Artemis II that remind us that the future is bright and anything is possible.
