Artemis II completes crewed lunar orbit
NASA’s Artemis II launched successfully and completed the first crewed lunar orbit in over 50 years, flying a 685,000‑mile figure‑eight trajectory and capturing wide attention for human spaceflight’s return to lunar operations. Astronauts wore the mission’s iconic orange suits during the voyage. (x.com 1) (x.com 2)
Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), Pilot Victor Glover (NASA), Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA) and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) make up the four‑person Artemis II crew. (nasa.gov)) The flight rode NASA’s 322‑foot Space Launch System on its second mission and marked the Orion spacecraft’s first crewed flight, with Orion supplied by Lockheed Martin. (nasa.gov)) Mission planning puts Orion nearly 5,000 miles beyond the lunar far side at peak excursion and roughly 250,000 miles from Earth during the roughly 10‑day test flight. (news.lockheedmartin.com)) Flight controllers reported and documented successful orbital maneuvers early in the mission, including an apogee‑raise burn and a perigee‑raise burn, and a proximity‑operations demonstration using the interim cryogenic propulsion stage as a stand‑in target. (nasa.gov)) Crew and Mission Control diagnosed a blinking fault light in Orion’s Universal Waste Management System during post‑launch checkouts and restored the toilet to normal operations before the next major burn. (nasa.gov)) NASA schedules an approximately 10‑day mission that will conclude with a Pacific Ocean splashdown about 50 miles off the coast of San Diego around April 11, 2026, with a joint NASA–Department of Defense recovery team and Navy ship standing by. (nasa.gov))
