NASA Artemis II crew travels farther from Earth than any in 50 years
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NASA’s Artemis II crew is heading for the moon, giving Americans a first-hand look at life aboard the spacecraft that has traveled farther from Earth in more than half a century.
US astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, boarded the 322-meter Orion spacecraft and took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 18.35 on Wednesday. The Artemis II crew is expected to orbit the moon and back.
Speaking to Fox News’ Trace Gallagher on Thursday night, the four-person crew described what it was like to be part of a mission to carry astronauts farther from Earth than any crewed flight since the Apollo era, and what life aboard Orion was like as they began their 10-day journey.
“There’s no difference between up and down, and so yeah, I sleep with my feet there and my head here, and it’s very comfortable,” mission specialist Christina Koch said. “I think I’ll probably stay there for the entire mission unless someone kicks me out. We’re learning how to make this space capsule a home.”
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Artemis II crew members, from left, Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover, appear during a video conference from lunar orbit on Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)
Pilot Victor Glover said the crew was surprised when they received the “begin launch” order that made the mission a reality.
“We like to say we’re ready with no expectations, but in the back of your mind, you’re hoping to get started,” he explained. “And then when we got really close it was like, wait, we’re getting ready to go into space. And when those solids lit up, it was a journey where you’re trying to be professional, but the kid inside you just wants to go out and scream and scream.”
Glover thanked NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team and launch control team, who have been preparing for the mission for months.
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The Artemis II rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. This means that for the first time in 50 years, NASA will send astronauts on a flight around the moon. (Credit: NASA)
“The campaign we launched recently was an example of how hard they work,” he said. “Even though we couldn’t actually watch it, it felt so good.”
As the crew answered questions, they passed around a floating microphone in zero gravity. The crew had just completed the translunar injection burn and set the mission on a lunar orbit.
“We have made absolutely 100% progress on the path to the Moon,” Commander Reid Wiseman said. “The moon’s gravity will kick in here in a few days and start pulling us toward the far side.”
NASA’S ARTEMIS II CREW BEGINS ON THE PATH OF THE MOON AFTER CRITICAL BURN SENDS ORION TO DEEP SPACE
From left, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch attend a media conference in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. (NASA/Keegan Barber)
Wiseman emphasized the importance of the Artemis II mission.
“At the end of our translunar injection here, about an hour and a half ago, we actually looked at each other. And I know the United States did this from 1968 to 1972, but it’s just – it’s incredible that we can put our minds to something and pull it off. It’s an incredible technical feat,” he said.
Koch added that he was proud that the crew had traveled farther from Earth than any crewed mission in more than 50 years.
“We’re not necessarily a team that lives on superlatives, but this is an important milestone,” he said. “It’s important for people to understand and consider the latest developments in what we do. What does this mean compared to what we’ve done in the past? What will we strive for in the future?”
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The Artemis II crew launched toward the moon on Thursday after a roughly 5-minute burn placed the Orion spacecraft in an orbit outside Earth orbit for the approximately 8-day flight to and from the lunar body. (NASA)
Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I test flight and marks a major step toward future missions, including Artemis III, which is expected to include a lunar lander from SpaceX, Blue Origin or both, according to NASA.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
