Artemis II crew completes lunar flyby and begins return to earth

The NASA Artemis II mission, crewed by Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, has successfully completed a historic flyby of the Moon. On April 7, 2026, the crew reached a record distance of 406,764 kilometers from Earth, the farthest any human has traveled in space. During the mission, the astronauts captured photographs of the far side of the Moon, observed a lunar eclipse, and recorded six meteorite impacts on the lunar surface. The crew identified two previously unmapped craters, proposing to name one 'Integrity' and the other 'Carroll' in memory of Commander Wiseman’s late wife. This mission marks the first human presence in the lunar vicinity in over 50 years. Meanwhile, Russia announced the postponement of its Luna-28, 29, and 30 missions to the 2032-2036 timeframe. The astronauts have now begun their return journey to Earth, marking a significant milestone for future deep space exploration.