History was made this week.
NASA’s Artemis II crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — have returned safely to Earth after completing humanity’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
Over 10 days aboard Integrity, the four astronauts flew 700,237 miles, swung around the far side of the Moon, and splashed down off the coast of San Diego to Mission Control calling it “a perfect bullseye.” From watching a solar eclipse from lunar orbit to conducting critical systems tests that will underpin Artemis III and beyond, they brought back more than data — they brought back proof that the next chapter of human deep space exploration is real and underway.
To the crew, the engineers, the flight directors, and everyone at NASA and CSA who made this happen: well done.
The Moon is no longer out of reach.
