A journey to the Moon and back again – a recap of the Artemis II missionpublished at 08:26 BST
08:26 BST
Jacob Phillips
Live reporter
Image source, Reuters
The Artemis II crew travelled further from Earth than anyone before them, and as Commander Reid Wiseman put it, “saw sights no human has ever seen”.
Here’s a look back at some of the key moments from the mission:
First, liftoff.
The Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion spacecraft on top, blasted off from Florida on 1 April.
The astronauts orbited Earth before heading towards the Moon on the second day.
On the sixth day, humanity returned to the Moon for the first time since 1972, as the crew circled behind it. At their furthest point, the spacecraft travelled 406,771 km (252,756 miles) from Earth.
The astronauts lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes while behind the Moon, spending time photographing craters and ancient lava flows, and describing its colour and texture.
After witnessing a solar eclipse, Orion headed back. The crew continued their research and even listened to David Bowie.
After just over nine days in space, the four astronauts returned to Earth, landing within a mile of Nasa’s target site in the Pacific Ocean.