Artemis II completes historic far-side lunar flyby

Artemis II completed a historic lunar flyby of the Moon’s far side, marking the first direct human observation of that hemisphere in more than five decades and paving the way for crewed landings near the south pole. The crew came within about 4,067 miles of the surface and captured thousands of images, providing valuable data on lunar terrain, craters, and volcanic features. The mission, flying on NASA’s new Orion command capsule from Kennedy Space Center, demonstrates the ongoing push to return humans to the Moon and extend missions toward Mars. Officials say the flight sets the stage for Artemis III docking in Earth orbit next year and Artemis IV’s near-south-pole landing potentially by 2028. At a Johnson Space Center ceremony, President Donald Trump awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew and announced the creation of a U.S. Space Academy to coordinate space efforts among the Space Force, NASA, and the commercial sector. The events underscore renewed U.S. leadership in space and the continued momentum of the Artemis program.