Artemis II breaks Apollo record with historic lunar flight

The four-member crew surpassed the previous record of 400,171 kilometres set in 1970 by travelling over 406,000 kilometres from Earth during their lunar flyby mission.

The crew includes Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. During the mission, astronauts observe previously uncharted regions of the Moon, including its far side, spending several hours documenting lunar features. Christina Koch, who becomes the first woman to participate in a lunar flyby mission, described the crew as being “glued to the windows” as the Moon filled their view.

Although the mission does not involve a lunar landing, it marks a historic milestone in space exploration. Unlike earlier Apollo programme crews, Artemis II features a diverse team that includes a woman, a Black astronaut, and a non-American crew member.

The lunar observation phase is expected to last approximately seven hours, providing unprecedented views of the Moon, which astronauts described as appearing as large as a “basketball at arm’s length.”

The mission represents a significant advancement in NASA’s return to the Moon and upcoming deep space exploration.