The image, captured by the Artemis II crew, shows the Earth setting behind the Moon during a lunar flyby on April 6. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
The Artemis II spacecraft is now heading back to Earth after successfully completing its
lunar flyby mission.
At the ship's farthest point, the four astronauts inside the Orion spacecraft of Artemis II traveled about 406,771 kilometers (252,756 miles) from Earth, surpassing the record for the farthest distance for human space flight, according to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
NASA announced that the crewed Artemis II exited the Moon’s sphere of influence at 1:23 p.m. on Tuesday, Eastern Time.
The announcement indicates that Earth’s gravitational pull on the spacecraft has surpassed the Moon’s gravity, allowing it to stably enter a return trajectory.
Artemis II is scheduled to arrive on Earth by making a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, United States at approximately 8:07 p.m. Once rescue efforts by U.S. Navy and NASA are completed, the historic 10-day mission will officially come to an end.
Artemis II was successfully launched at 6:35 p.m. last Wednesday from Launch Complex 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The image, captured by the Artemis II crew, shows the Earth next to the Moon before Earthset during a lunar flyby on April 6. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
The heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen on the Moon in a photo taken by the crew of Artemis II. [NASA/UPI/YONHAP]
A view of the Moon backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, as photographed by one of the cameras on the Orion spacecraft's solar arrays during the Artemis II crew's flyby of the Moon on April 7. [NASA/REUTERS/YONHAP]
The Moon, with its Orienale basin prominent at center, is photographed by the Artemis II crew through the Orion spacecraft's window during their flyby of the Moon on April 6. [NASA/REUTERS/YONHAP]
A view of NASA's Orion spacecraft in the foreground, lit up by the Sun as the Moon and Earth are visible behind it as photographed by one of the cameras on the Orion spacecraft's solar arrays during the Artemis II crew's flyby of the Moon on April 6. [NASA/REUTERS/YONHAP]
Vavilov Crater on the Moon is seen in a photo taken by the Artemis II crew during a lunar flyby on April 6. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
The Artemis II crew: Counterclockwise from top left: Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover pose with eclipse viewers during a lunar flyby on April 6. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
Artemis II astronauts: From left, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Victor Glover gather for an interview en route to the Moon on April 4. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
Artemis II mission specialist and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen shaves inside the Orion spacecraft during Flight Day 5 and ahead of the crew's lunar flyby on April 6. [AP/NASA/YONHAP]
Astronauts prepare for their journey around the far side of the Moon by configuring their camera equipment for use through the Orion spacecraft's window, shortly before their lunar flyby on April 6. [NASA/REUTERS/YONHAP]
Artemis II NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, right, and Victor Glover walk to board the astronaut van for their drive to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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