Artemis II has reshaped human spaceflight by completing a 10-day journey around the Moon, taking astronauts farther from Earth than anyone has traveled in more than five decades. The mission marked the long-awaited return of humans to deep space, going beyond low Earth orbit for the first time since the Apollo era.

As the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, Artemis II followed the success of Artemis I. Four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, traveled around the Moon and back, becoming the first crew to do so since Apollo 17. Supporting the mission throughout was the European Service Module, built by the European Space Agency, which supplied propulsion, power, water, and breathable air.

The mission began on April 1, 2026, when NASA’s Space Launch System lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Orion spacecraft. Soon after launch, Orion’s solar arrays deployed and the spacecraft separated from the upper stage. The crew took manual control and carried out proximity operations, a key test for future missions. After completing system checks in Earth orbit, mission control approved the translunar injection burn, placing Orion on a free-return path toward the Moon.

Orion continued deeper into space, traveling more than one million kilometers from Earth. On April 6, the spacecraft flew past the Moon, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles and surpassing the record set during Apollo 13. At that point, the crew became the farthest-traveling humans in history, while capturing detailed views of the lunar surface.

Following the flyby, Orion began its journey back to Earth. Over the next four days, the spacecraft performed a series of trajectory correction burns to stay on course. These adjustments demonstrated the precision and reliability of the European Service Module, which remained central to navigation and propulsion throughout the mission.

On April 10, 2026, the mission moved into its final phase as the Crew Module separated from the Service Module ahead of reentry. Orion passed through Earth’s atmosphere and descended under parachutes before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT, bringing the mission to a successful close.

After recovery, the astronauts underwent medical checks before returning to Houston, where they reunited with their families and colleagues. They are now continuing postflight reconditioning, medical evaluations, and mission debriefs, as Artemis II sets the stage for the next phase of human exploration beyond Earth.