Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman praised SpaceX founder Elon Musk on Saturday after the crew spotted Mars during their lunar flyby, saying there is “zero doubt” humans will reach the planet soon.<\/p>\n
Historic Deep-Space Reflection<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Wiseman thanked Musk and described the four-person crew\u2019s experience during the mission.<\/p>\n
“Thank you, @elonmusk \u2013 the four of us glimpsed the red hues of Mars far in the distance as the sun slipped behind the Moon and there was zero doubt in our minds that the creative genius of our greatest minds will have us there very soon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On Friday, NASA’s Artemis II mission ended with a successful splashdown<\/a> in the Pacific Ocean after a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon, marking a key step toward future lunar exploration.<\/p>\n The Orion spacecraft landed at about 8:07 p.m. ET after traveling roughly 694,000 miles, including a close lunar flyby. <\/p>\n Earlier this month, the crew, Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, completed the first crewed trip toward the Moon<\/a> since Apollo 17 and the first using NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. <\/p>\n Though the mission did not land, it served as a critical test for future lunar flights.<\/p>\n Separately, Elon Musk said SpaceX had shifted focus toward building a self-sustaining city on the Moon, arguing that faster launch cycles make lunar development more practical than Mars, while still maintaining long-term Mars plans.<\/p>\n Disclaimer:\u00a0This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy: Shutterstock<\/p>\n