By Simon Benca, Grade 12
Artemis II, NASA’s First Flight Around the Moon in Over Fifty Years
On April 1, 2026, NASA launched a rocket beyond low Earth orbit and around the moon. Artemis II, a 10 day lunar flyby. From April 1 to April 11, four astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any before them. Their distance of 252,760 miles surpassed the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles. This was also the first crewed flight beyond low earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
This flyby had a crew of four people: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. All four members made history on this flight: Wiseman became the oldest person to travel beyond low Earth orbit and around the moon. Glover became the first person of color to make this journey. Koch became the first woman to fly around the moon and travel beyond low Earth orbit. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Hansen became the first non-U.S. citizen to make this expedition.
Artemis II utilized a NASA Space Launch System rocket to leave low Earth orbit, breaking off from the main Orion spacecraft. After traveling to the “dark side" of the moon, they used the moon’s orbit as a sling shot to send the spacecraft back to Earth. On April 11, 2026, The Orion spacecraft hit the Earth’s atmosphere at around 25,000 miles per hour, dipping into the upper atmosphere to slow down. During this descent, the heat shield endured temperatures up to 5,000°F and the spacecraft splashed into the Pacific Ocean. The crew successfully made it to the moon and returned back to Earth
This successful mission will be a stepping stone for future expeditions. Artemis IV is set to be the first time a human has landed on the moon’s surface since 1972. In the world of space exploration and aerospace engineering, the future looks bright.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-detail/amf-art002e009006/