🔴Artemis 2 Mission Live Updates: Crew Begin Return to Earth

Most recent live updates from Artemis II mission to the moon.

NASA’s Artemis II mission has made history. Right now, four astronauts are coasting back toward Earth after thoroughly acing the main event. Here is a quick recap of what just went down.

Yesterday, on Flight Day 6, the Orion spacecraft successfully completed its highly anticipated lunar flyby—marking the first time human eyes have seen the Moon up close since Apollo 17 in 1972. To be clear, this wasn’t an orbital insertion. The spacecraft rode a free-return trajectory that whipped the crew around the far side of the Moon, coming within roughly 4,067 miles of the lunar dirt.

In doing so, Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen officially shattered the Apollo 13 record for the furthest distance humans have ever traveled into deep space, maxing out at an impressive 252,756 miles from Earth.

The spacecraft has officially exited the lunar sphere of influence and is now on the downhill slope, falling back toward Earth.

The final boss of this test flight is the reentry, where Orion’s ablative heat shield will face the brutal thermal environment of a deep-space return velocity. Splashdown is currently targeted for Friday, April 10, off the coast of San Diego.

We’ll keep updating as the crew coasts home, but for now, NASA has a lot to celebrate. Artemis II is absolutely nailing its test objectives.