National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Completes Artemis II Moon Mission

Key facts

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully concluded the Artemis II mission with the Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
• The mission crew consisted of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
• Artemis II set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles during the lunar flyby.
• The Orion capsule, named Integrity, traveled a total estimated distance of 694,481 miles over a mission duration of 9 days, 1 hour, and 31 minutes.
• During atmospheric reentry, the spacecraft reached a maximum speed of 24,661.21 mph and its heat shield endured temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
• A system of 11 parachutes was deployed to slow the capsule from 300 mph to a splashdown velocity of approximately 17-20 mph.
• The United States Navy recovery ship USS John P. Murtha was utilised to recover the crew and the spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean.
• The mission involved a lunar flyby where the spacecraft reached its closest approach of 4,067 miles above the surface of the moon.
• The crew carried a plush mission mascot named Rise, designed by an eight-year-old, which served as the zero-gravity indicator for the mission.