Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA’s Artemis program after the uncrewed test phase.
Artemis II served as the first crewed deep-space test of the Orion system.
The Artemis II crew experienced peak gravitational loads of four times Earth’s surface gravity during reentry.
The Artemis II crew observed the Moon’s far side during the April 6 flyby.
Artemis II began with the launch of Orion and the Space Launch System from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B in Florida on April 1.
Artemis II astronauts returned to Earth in the Orion spacecraft after a lunar flyby on April 6.
The Orion capsule for Artemis II splashed down off the coast of San Diego on April 11.
The Artemis II astronauts’ photographs show bead-like crater chains radiating outward from the Orientale basin.
Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026 and uses high-bandwidth optical communications for its deep-space objectives.
The Artemis II astronauts saw many large craters with central peaks on the lunar farside.
NASA is focusing on Artemis III after Artemis II.
The Artemis II spacecraft was named Integrity.
After splashdown, the Artemis II astronauts were flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for medical examinations.
The Artemis II crew traveled farther into space than any previous human mission.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter provided imagery and data that were extensively used to plan the Artemis II lunar flyby.
Artemis II achieved major technical milestones on the United States’ path toward landing humans on the Moon again.
The Artemis II crew took more than 7,000 photographs during the lunar flyby.
The Artemis II crew came within about 6,500 kilometers of the lunar surface during the April 6 flyby.
Artemis II was a cislunar mission that included a pass around the Moon.
Artemis II tested the Orion spacecraft's life support capabilities for NASA's planned crewed lunar expeditions.