NASA's Artemis II Flies Four Astronauts Around Moon in Historic Launch

NASA's Artemis II mission launched successfully on April 1, marking humanity's return to crewed lunar exploration after more than five decades.

The four-person crew includes the first woman and person of color to venture beyond Earth orbit, and the first non-American to fly to the Moon.

AccuWeather

The mission serves as a test flight for Orion and the Space Launch System, paving the way for Artemis III.

The crew transmitted the first photos of Earth taken from their vantage point.

By April 4, Artemis II was more than halfway to the Moon, orbiting Earth at approximately 219,000 kilometers distance.

The crew was preparing for the lunar flyby planned for April 6.

AP News

This is NASA's first deep space operation since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Reporterre called space exploration a race for power and a resource grab.

“If all goes to plan, the first half of 2026 will see the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission, returning humans to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era”

BBC

The op-ed argued robotic missions can achieve more science at lower cost.

Media coverage reflected skepticism about purpose beyond prestige and geopolitics.