By Vivienne Brichta, freshman

The Artemis II is a monumental space mission that is laying the groundwork for America’s next moon landing and revealing captivating photos and stories of our solar system.

The space journey was launched on the Orion rocket on April 1st, 2026, after facing some technical issues during the countdown. On April 6th, Orion and its four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, flew around the far side of the moon. This accomplishment set the record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth ever, at a grand 252,706 miles. 

Other notable details include the mission’s crew getting to witness and capture photos of the Earth rising and falling over the moon’s horizon, known as “Earthset,” which parallels a similar photo called “Earthrise” from the 1968 Apollo 8 mission. 

There was also a solar eclipse photo captured, which crew member Glover describes as, “This continues to be unreal … it’s bright and creates a halo almost around the entire moon. The Earth is so bright out there, and the Moon is just hanging in front of us.” Glover and many others are in agreement about this stunning photo, along with the rest of the collection.

The Orion spaceship is set to land on April 10th, 2026.

This mission symbolizes the passion of exploring the world around us, including new photos of the Earth that echo old ones, and as NASA administrator Lakiesha Hawkins puts it, “It’s great to think — with the exception of our four friends — all of us are represented in this image.” 

Despite the joys of the mission, it can be stressful at times for the astronauts. When going around the moon, they were not in contact with NASA back on Earth. Crew member Koch explains, “It is so great to hear from Earth again, we will inspire, but ultimately we will always choose Earth.” Although being an astronaut is a wonderful experience, there is always risk involved, and Artemis II itself is a mission to weigh risks for a moon landing.

The Artemis II mission has only been made possible due to recent federal mandates from President Trump that allow for this incredible feat. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman discusses, “If it wasn’t for President Trump … we certainly would not have an achievable path now to get back to the lunar surface and build that enduring presence.”

The story will continue with the subsequent space mission of 2027, Artemis III, which will further test tools and operations to get to the moon. This will conclude with Artemis V in 2028, which will start construction of a lunar base on the moon’s South Pole. The practice and infrastructure from these missions will eventually lead humanity all the way to Mars.

Artemis II is an important space mission that has captured beautiful photos, broken milestones, and is paving the way for future space missions.

Sources:

The Artemis II mission | The Planetary Society

Artemis II astronauts share stunning images of moon as lunar flyby nears | Live Updates from Fox News Digital

Artemis II astronauts nearly halfway to the moon; NASA shares stunning photos from Orion spacecraft

Artemis II: NASA’s First Crewed Lunar Flyby in 50 Years

Earthset and a solar eclipse: Nasa releases first images from Moon fly-by

How Artemis II’s Earthset photo compares with the iconic Earthrise image from 1968

Moon to Mars | NASA’s Artemis Program