The Artemis II crew is currently in high Earth orbit following their successful launch the night before on Thursday, April 2. The mission officially launched at 6:35 PM ET on Wednesday, April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using the Space Launch System (SLS) – the most powerful rocket ever launched by NASA. The four-person crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This mission marks several firsts: Victor Glover is the first black man, Christina Koch is the first woman and Jeremy Hansen is the first Canadian to venture to the moon. The crew is currently performing maneuvers to raise the spacecraft’s perigee.
This prepares Orion for the translunar injection burn, the critical engine fire that will send them on a four-day journey to the moon. If the schedule holds, the spacecraft is expected to reach the moon on Monday, April 6, for a historic lunar flight. The crew will travel further from Earth than any human in history, surpassing the distance record of approximately 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. This 10-day test flight is a crucial precursor to NASA’s goal of returning humans to the moon’s surface, a milestone currently targeted by 2028.
Ruqia Shahid is a reporter who specializes in science and focuses on discoveries, research developments and technological advancements. She translates complex scientific concepts into clear, compelling stories and helps readers understand the latest innovations and their real-world impact through accurate, accessible and insight-driven reporting.
