The Artemis II mission, which began with its launch on April 2, has reached a significant milestone as the crew made their closest approach to the moon on April 6. This mission is notable for utilizing a free-return trajectory, a path that allows the spacecraft to harness the moon's gravity for slingshot assistance back to Earth, with a scheduled return on April 10.
At 12:41 a.m. ET, Artemis II entered the lunar sphere of influence, transitioning from Earth's gravitational pull to that of the moon. The four-member crew, including Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, was on a rest period during this transition. Upon waking, they will prepare to observe and photograph the lunar surface, gathering data for scientific purposes.
At approximately 1:56 p.m. ET, the crew exceeded the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans, surpassing the Apollo 13 mission by over 100 miles. As they reached a distance of 252,757 miles from Earth, the crew acknowledged this achievement while paying tribute to the Apollo 13 astronauts.
Following their closest approach at 7:02 p.m., the spacecraft entered a communications blackout for 40 minutes as it moved behind the moon. During this time, the crew was at an altitude of 4,066 miles above the lunar surface, a significant distance compared to the lower orbits of previous missions.
The mission aims to culminate with a Pacific Ocean splashdown on April 10, marking the first return of a lunar crew since Apollo 17 in 1972, thus representing a new chapter in human space exploration.