Mission reaches lunar sphere of influence and is set to break Apollo era distance record
Summary:
• Artemis II crew enters Moon’s gravitational zone at 39,000 miles
• Mission will take astronauts farther than any humans in history
• Crew includes Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen
NASA’s Artemis II mission has entered the Moon’s “sphere of influence,” marking a key milestone as astronauts prepare for a historic lunar flyby. The transition happened about 39,000 miles from the Moon, four days into the mission, when lunar gravity became stronger than Earth’s pull.
The crew, led by Reid Wiseman, along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, is now set for the most critical phase. The spacecraft will loop around the Moon’s far side, taking humans deeper into space than ever before.
At its farthest point, the crew will reach around 252,757 miles from Earth, breaking the previous record set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. This will be the first time humans have crossed this lunar threshold since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The team has spent recent days preparing for the flyby.
Astronauts conducted manual piloting checks, reviewed science objectives for a planned six hour observation window, and tested their space suits for safety. NASA also shared images of the crew viewing Earth from the Orion spacecraft, highlighting the scale of the mission.
The spacecraft is expected to make its closest approach to the Moon at about 4,066 miles from the surface, before briefly losing communication as it passes behind the Moon. During the alignment of the Sun, Moon and spacecraft, the crew will also witness a solar eclipse from space.
If successful, Artemis II will mark a major step toward long term human exploration of deep space and future missions to the Moon and beyond.
(Image credit: NASA)
