Artemis II Crew Breaks Apollo Record, Returns to Earth
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- Artemis II crew completed a seven‑hour lunar flyby, breaking Apollo 13’s distance record by over 4,000 miles (252,756 miles/406,771 km from Earth) and set a free‑return trajectory toward a Pacific splashdown late Friday.
- Victor Glover became the first person of color to orbit the Moon.
- Christina Koch was the first woman to orbit the Moon.
- Jeremy Hansen was the first non‑American to orbit the Moon.
- NASA’s lunar science team reported “audible screams of delight” as the crew described solar eclipses, meteor‑strike flashes, and surface features.
- Kelsey Young said the crew’s observations “made a difference scientifically” and that “spirits are very high.”
- President Donald Trump called the crew “modern‑day pioneers” in a congratulatory call, praising their courage and inspiration.
Why it matters: The record‑breaking flyby validates NASA’s free‑return trajectory and supplies new lunar data, bolstering the agency’s roadmap toward a crewed Moon landing by 2028. It also shows the trajectory’s feasibility for future missions, giving confidence to NASA’s partners and the U.S. administration that the Artemis timeline is on track.
