NASA's Artemis II Mission Completes Lunar Flyby, Releases Images and Breaks Distance Record

This surpassed the Apollo 13 milestone set in 1970.

m. Eastern time as the Orion spacecraft swung around the far side of the Moon, the first such human traversal since 1972. During the flyby, the astronauts observed parts of the Moon's far side not previously seen by human eyes.

The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center atop an SLS rocket last week.

NASA released images captured by the Artemis II crew, including Earth setting behind the Moon and the Moon eclipsing the Sun from lunar orbit.

The White House and NASA also shared additional imagery from the mission's cameras. A full gallery of Moon photos was made available, highlighting the lunar surface at close range, approximately 7,000 kilometers from the surface. The astronauts spotted several unnamed craters on the far side and proposed names for two.

They named one crater Carroll, honoring Reid Wiseman's late wife, who died in 2020. This emotional moment was shared with mission control in Houston and Wiseman's family.

“The crew had spent part of yesterday morning looking out the window at the moon.”

the lunar flyby, the crew had a quiet day en route back to Earth. They engaged with mission control and a public livestream, discussing their views of lunar craters, some dating back 4 billion years from asteroid impacts. President Donald Trump called the astronauts to congratulate them, describing them as modern-day pioneers.

The mission represents a step in NASA's plans for future lunar and Mars missions, initiated during Trump's first term. Families of the astronauts noted that the mission preparation begins at assignment, emphasizing their involvement. The crew's journey confirmed NASA's readiness for returning humans to the Moon.

“NASA will never be the same.”

The far side of the Moon, often misnamed the dark side, refers to the hemisphere not visible from Earth. Scientists use 'far side' to describe this region accurately. The Artemis program, named after the moon goddess, contrasts with the Apollo program's sun god namesake, aligning with lunar themes.

The Orion capsule's performance during the mission exceeded that of historical vessels like the Santa María and Apollo modules in distance traveled. The crew expressed gratitude for the spacecraft, named Integrity, which protected them from space's vacuum.