Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon

Four astronauts have travelled around the Moon and returned safely to Earth, in the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

NASA's Artemis II mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 1 April, and the Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on 10 April.

The crew

The crew were the commander, Reid Wiseman, the pilot, Victor Glover, and the mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

Glover became the first person of colour, Koch the first woman and Hansen the first person from outside the United States to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

A new record

On 6 April, as they passed around the far side of the Moon, the astronauts set a new record for the furthest humans have travelled from Earth, reaching a distance of 252,756 miles. The previous record was set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970.

The crew named their Orion spacecraft Integrity.

A test flight

Artemis II was a test flight, designed to check that the Orion spacecraft and its life support systems work with people on board, and to prepare for future missions that will land astronauts on the Moon.

It was the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System, the giant rocket developed for the Artemis programme.

The mission followed a free-return path, using the Moon's gravity to swing the spacecraft back towards Earth, similar to the route flown by Apollo 13.

The Artemis programme

NASA's Artemis programme aims to return humans to the surface of the Moon and to establish a long-term presence there, as a step towards sending people to Mars. The first uncrewed test flight, Artemis I, took place in 2022.

The European Space Agency provides the service module that powers Orion, built with parts from companies across Europe.

Moon joy

The mission captured the attention of people around the world, and pictures of the Earth rising over the Moon were widely shared. The enthusiasm has been dubbed "Moon joy".

Inspiring the next generation

Scientists hope the mission will inspire young people in Britain and around the world to study science and engineering.