The Artemis II mission is now closer to the moon than to Earth

WorldSpace
5 Apr 2026 • 4:31 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A historic crew of four astronauts, including the first non-U.S. citizen, is more than halfway to the moon on the Artemis II mission.
  • The three Americans and one Canadian are scheduled to reach the moon on Monday for an unprecedented fly-around, photographing its mysterious far side.
  • This mission marks the first time a crew has been moon-bound in over 53 years, effectively resuming NASA’s Apollo program.
  • The Artemis II mission will set a new distance record for human spaceflight, traveling over 252,000 miles from Earth and surpassing Apollo 13's record.
  • The nearly 10-day mission, culminating in a Pacific splashdown on April 10, is a crucial step towards NASA's goal of establishing a sustainable moon base by 2028.

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