Artemis II enters Moon gravitational zone, headed to 406777km
NASA's Artemis II just made space history!
Launched from Florida last week, the crew has now entered the moon's gravitational zone and will soon beat Apollo 13's old record by reaching about 406777km from Earth.
On board are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
Artemis II scheduled for 6-hour flyby
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed test for its new lunar program. The team is set for a dramatic six-hour flyby around the moon starting at 2:34pm ET today: expect some radio silence as they pass behind the moon.
While there, they'll snap photos of glowing lunar edges and distant Earth views from their Orion capsule.
This mission also supports plans to return astronauts to the moon's surface by 2028 and build a long-term presence there over the following decade.
The crew got a special recorded message from Apollo legend Jim Lovell, tying this new adventure back to NASA's iconic past.