The crew of National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Artemis II mission has begun its return to Earth after completing a historic lunar fly-by that took them farther into space than any humans in history.

The astronauts — Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometres) from Earth, surpassing the previous record set by the crew of the Apollo 13 in 1970.

The mission marks the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft under the Artemis programme, a critical step toward future missions aimed at returning humans to the Moon.

Speaking during the return journey, Wiseman said the crew “saw sights that no human has ever seen,” while Glover added that there are “no adjectives” to fully describe the experience.

During the fly-by, the spacecraft passed behind the Moon, resulting in a temporary loss of communication with NASA that lasted about 40 minutes.

When contact was restored, Koch said, “It is so great to hear from Earth again.”
The astronauts also witnessed a total solar eclipse from their spacecraft, spending about an hour observing and documenting the rare event from deep space.

The milestone mission has drawn global attention, with U.S. President Donald Trump commending the crew for their achievement.

“You have made history and made all America really proud,” Trump said in a brief call with the astronauts, while also inviting them to the White House upon their return.

The Artemis II crew is expected to conclude the mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States on Friday.