The Artemis II mission has concluded after ten days in space. Launching on April 1, the astronauts on board (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) conducted a lunar flyby, marking the first crewed flight outside of low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Early concerns had shrouded the outcome of the mission in doubt. After the failed Boeing Crewed Flight Test in 2024 left two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station, many feared a similar outcome. After the uncrewed Artemis I mission returned with a highly damaged heat shield, fears spread regarding an outcome similar to the Columbia disaster in 2003.
The mission also was scheduled to be part of the Lunar Gateway program, which was a plan to build a replacement for the International Space Station, which is approaching its end-of-life date, scheduled for 2030, followed by a controlled de-orbit into Point Nemo, the area farthest from land, in 2031. However, the Lunar Gateway program was canceled in early 2026.
After being delayed numerous times between early 2019 and March of this year, Artemis II successfully launched on April 1, 2026. Early on in the mission, essential life support systems aboard the spacecraft, such as the toilet and the water dispenser, were damaged in a concerning incident. On April 6, the crew passed by the dark side of the moon, capturing a photo of a solar eclipse. During this time, the crew lost contact for around 40 minutes, which was planned. The crew also created numerous videos during their time in space, which led to Saturday Night Live parodying them on their April 11 show.
On April 10, Artemis II re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in a splashdown off the coast of California after nine days. The mission, which was deemed successful, had already been anticipated because of a number of firsts. Victor Glover became the first person of color to fly by the moon. Likewise, Christina Koch became the first woman to achieve the feat, while Reid Wiseman set the record as the oldest person to do so, and Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian to complete a lunar flyby. This crew inspired many on social media.
One NECC student, Kylee DeAngelo, said it was “inspiring”, further stating “I think there are benefits to this. They flew by the dark side of the moon, which hasn’t been done in over 50 years. They’re discovering new things, and you can only go up from there.”
Further echoing DeAngelo’s claims was another NECC student, Aidan Lohan, who stated it was not only “very interesting”, but that “it opened the door for the future of space exploration.”
However, some felt that this historic mission should have happened sooner. NECC student Danny St-Pierre was among those who felt this way, although he did express positive thoughts on the matter, stating “I think it was long overdue.
This could very well be the catalyst for further space exploration and research. I can’t wait to see where it leads us”, jokingly adding “However, I was told by my family to not leave the planet.”
Artemis II will be followed up by Artemis III, with that mission expected to take place in mid-2027, followed up by Artemis IV, which is expected to be the first crewed landing on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis IV is currently set to take place in early 2028.
Until then, humanity will have to wait for what will be, to quote the late Neil Armstrong, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
We at the Observer would like to congratulate the crew of Artemis II on a successful mission and subsequent return to Earth.
