Artemis II Crew Passes Moon's Far Side — First Humans Beyond Earth Orbit Since 1972

The four-person crew of Artemis II entered lunar orbit influence on April 2, placing human beings farther from Earth than anyone has traveled since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are scheduled to pass within 130 kilometres of the Moon's far side on April 7 before slingshotting back toward Earth, according to NASA's mission timeline.

The Mission

Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B on March 30 aboard the Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever flown. The Orion capsule separated from the upper stage 90 minutes after launch and has been on a free-return trajectory toward the Moon since.

The mission's primary objective is to test Orion's life support, navigation, and communication systems with a crew aboard — checks that the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022 could not fully validate.

"Everything we're doing is for Artemis III," Koch told mission control on April 1, referring to the planned 2028 lunar landing mission. "We're proving that this vehicle can keep four people alive and on course for a round trip to the Moon."

The crew has been conducting systems tests, including manual navigation burns, communication blackout protocols during far-side transit, and radiation monitoring inside the capsule.

Technical Performance

NASA reported on April 2 that all Orion systems were operating within nominal parameters. The European Service Module, built by Airbus for the European Space Agency, has performed four trajectory correction burns, each within 0.3% of planned delta-v values.

The spacecraft's heat shield — which will face temperatures of 2,760°C on re-entry at 40,000 km/h — is the same design that developed minor erosion issues during Artemis I. NASA engineers modified the heat shield's ablative coating in 2024 after a review found that charred material separated in unexpected patterns during the first mission.

"The heat shield is the item we're watching most carefully," said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, during an April 1 press briefing. "We won't know the full answer until recovery, but all thermal sensors are nominal."

International Dimensions

Hansen's presence makes Artemis II the first mission beyond Earth orbit to include a non-American astronaut. Canada secured the seat through its $2.05 billion contribution to the Lunar Gateway program, which includes building the Canadarm3 robotic system.

The mission has drawn messages from space agencies worldwide. Japan's JAXA, which is building Gateway habitat modules, called it "a milestone for all humanity." The European Space Agency, which built Orion's propulsion module, posted: "Europe powers the journey."

China's CNSA did not issue a formal statement. China is pursuing its own crewed lunar landing program, with a target date of 2030 for its first astronaut on the Moon's surface using the Long March 10 rocket and Mengzhou spacecraft, according to CNSA's published timeline.

Russia's Roscosmos congratulated the crew in a brief statement but noted that Russia "continues to develop its own lunar program independently" — a reference to the Luna-26 orbiter planned for 2027.

Context

Artemis II arrives during one of the most turbulent geopolitical periods in decades. NASA administrator Bill Nelson acknowledged the contrast in a pre-launch interview with CBS News.

"We are showing what humanity can do when it works together," Nelson said. "Fourteen countries contribute to Artemis. That cooperation exists even when so much else is falling apart."

The mission's total cost through Artemis II is approximately $47 billion, according to NASA's Office of Inspector General. That figure has drawn congressional scrutiny, with the House Appropriations Committee requesting a cost-per-mission audit due by June.

Orion is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on April 12. If all systems perform as designed, NASA will move to finalise contracts for Artemis III, which would place the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface.