Artemis II hits two-thirds mark on journey to Moon, astronauts practice

The Artemis II mission has passed the two-thirds mark on its journey to the Moon. The crew of four astronauts are practicing manual control of the Orion spacecraft ahead of their historic lunar flyby, set to break the human distance record from Earth.

The Artemis II has hit the "two thirds" mark of its journey to the Moon on Sunday, NASA said in a statement. The event occurred during flight day four. In a post on X, NASA said, "Artemis II just hit the "two thirds" mark of the journey to the Moon. During Flight Day 4, the astronauts aboard Orion went over plans to study the Moon during their upcoming lunar flyby and are currently practicing manually controlling the spacecraft."

Artemis II just hit the "two thirds" mark of the journey to the Moon. During Flight Day 4, the astronauts aboard Orion went over plans to study the Moon during their upcoming lunar flyby and are currently practicing manually controlling the spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/TU0ftZAekT — NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 5, 2026

Reid Wiseman, an Astronaut aboard Artemis II said, "There are no words." There are no words. pic.twitter.com/W7JRAN8JeJ — Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) April 5, 2026

Historic Lunar Fly-around

Artemis II astronauts began their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts on Saturday. The three Americans and one Canadian will reach their destination Monday, photographing the lunar far side on their way. It's the first moonbound crew in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA's Apollo program left off, Politico reported.

Artemis II was poised to set a distance record for humans, traveling more than 252,000 miles from Earth before hanging a U-turn behind the moon and heading home without stopping or entering lunar orbit. The record is currently held by Apollo 13.

International and Diverse Crew

The Canadian Space Agency celebrated the country's role in the mission, speaking from Quebec with astronaut Jeremy Hansen as he headed toward his lunar rendezvous. Hansen is the first non-US citizen to fly to the moon, as per Politico.

"Today he is making history for Canada," said Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell. "As we watch him taking this bold step into the unknown, let his journey remind us that Canada's future is written by those who dare to reach for more."

Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch are the world's first lunar astronauts since Apollo 17's crew of three in 1972. Koch and Glover are the first female and first Black astronauts to the moon, respectively, as per Politico.

Future of the Artemis Program

The mission, ending with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, is the first step in NASA's bold plans for a sustainable moon base. The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by two astronauts near the lunar south pole in 2028. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)