Update on the NASA Artemis II crewed lunar mission

The NASA Artemis II mission, carrying a crew of four, has reached a distance of 400,171 kilometers from Earth, breaking the distance record previously held by Apollo 13. The crew consists of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This mission marks the first crewed flight to the Moon in several decades, though the spacecraft will perform a lunar flyby without landing. The crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, April 10. Future NASA plans include a 2027 test mission and a planned landing on the lunar South Pole in 2028. Long-term objectives involve establishing permanent scientific bases and conducting annual lunar missions. Cyprus is reportedly participating in the broader Artemis program framework through international scientific collaborations.