Artemis II has journeyed to the moon.
Four (4) astronauts on the Artemis II are on their way to journey around the moon after successfully conducting the translunar injection burn, or TLI.
The astronauts are expected to spend about eight (8) days in space.
Former President of the United States (US), Barack Obama, said, it was “inspiring” as he watched the Artemis II launch on Wednesday.
Artemis II is NASA’s “first crewed mission around the moon since 1972”, Obama said on X.
The 44th US President described the four (4) astronauts as “brave”, and said, the mission will “inspire a new generation to follow in their footsteps”.
The historic and perilous lunar adventure will mark the first time astronauts are returning to the moon in over five (5) decades.
Artemis II could journey farther from planet Earth than any human ever has, smashing the distance record set by the Apollo program.
President Obama posted: “It was inspiring to watch the Artemis II launch yesterday — @NASA’s first crewed mission around the moon since 1972.
“Our space program has always captured an essential part of what it means to reach beyond what we thought was possible, and I hope the four brave astronauts on this mission will inspire a new generation to follow in their footsteps.”
Artemis II
Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission of the Artemis Program. It was launched in April, 2026 to send four astronauts on a 10-day, 8-hour journey around the Moon and return.
It is first crewed mission to leave the orbit of planet Earth since 1972, testing the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems to pave the way for future lunar landings.
Crew: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency).
Spacecraft: The Orion spacecraft, powered by the European Service Module.
