The Artemis II mission is more than half way to the Moon

Published at: 04/04/2026 01:15 PM

NASA's Artemis II mission marked a historic milestone this Friday as it crossed the equator of its journey to the Moon. The Orion spacecraft, which transports the first human crew in more than 50 years to the lunar environment, is more than 219,000 kilometers from Earth, maintaining an optimal trajectory to reach the orbit of our natural satellite early next week.

This trip represents the first time that human beings have ventured into deep space since the closure of the Apollo program in 1972. The crew, comprised of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, is leading the return of humanity to the lunar frontier, preparing the ground for future descents to the surface.

Over the past few hours, NASA has shared the first images of Earth captured by crew members, who use mobile technology and high-resolution cameras to document the odyssey from an unprecedented perspective. These photographs not only fulfill a scientific function, but they symbolize the beginning of a new era of space exploration under the framework of the Artemis Agreements.

The space odyssey continues to be monitored in real time and broadcast globally. It is expected that, after completing its lunar flyby on Monday, the Orion ship will begin its return for a controlled landing in the Pacific Ocean, thus consolidating the success of this manned test flight that seeks to validate life support and navigation systems for sustained human presence in space.

Mazo News Team