This Monday, April 6, 2026 will go down in the history books as the day when humans took another close look at “Mother Moon”. At exactly 2:45 PM (Eastern time), the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission officially entered lunar orbit, marking the return of the human species to the natural satellite for the first time since Apollo 17 said goodbye in December 1972. Half a century of waiting is over!
Aboard the Orion capsule, the crew is not only traveling through space, they are breaking social and technological barriers. For the first time, the Moon welcomes a woman (Christina Koch) and a black man (Victor Glover), accompanied by Commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, who is the first foreigner on a NASA lunar mission. That’s representing the whole planet!
A journey of records and “silence” in space
New record🥇
The Artemis II astronauts are now farther from Earth than humans have ever been! At 1:57 p.m. EDT, they broke the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
Their journey around the far side of the Moon today will take them a maximum distance of 252,752 miles from Earth. pic.twitter.com/P5Swojpn0n
– NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 6, 2026
Monday was a real cosmic roller coaster.
First, the spacecraft managed to surpass the record distance of Apollo 13, going more than 406,000 kilometers away from Earth.
But the most intense part occurred during the flyby of the “dark side” of the Moon.
For about 40 minutes, the world held its breath.
As it passed behind the satellite, the Moon blocked all radio signals, leaving the Orion capsule in absolute silence with the Earth.
At that time, the astronauts were the only humans to witness an exclusive 53-minute solar eclipse that no one else on Earth was able to see.
It’s not all glamour in space
Morning routine: Wake up, shave, make the bed, witness something that’s never before been seen by human eyes.
The Artemis II crew is preparing for today’s lunar flyby, when they will see the Moon’s far side. pic.twitter.com/E7EUvRUzRP
– NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
Although the mission has been a resounding success since its flawless liftoff on Wednesday, April 1 at Cape Canaveral, it has not been all plain sailing.
NASA confessed that they have had to deal with “minor mishaps” that remind us that astronauts are human too.
Amidst laughter and technical reports, it was learned that they had initial problems with the space toilet (imagine that stress thousands of miles from home!) and a persistent “bad smell” in the cabin, which experts were investigating over the weekend.
Fortunately, NASA has confirmed that the toilet is now working perfectly and the mission is moving forward towards its main objective: to prepare the ground for a permanent base up there very soon.
What’s next for Artemis II?
Tired: Monday
Wired: MoondayToday our Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon! Tune in, starting at 1pm ET (1700 UTC) as they view parts of the Moon never seen by human eyes.
Watch it live with us: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc pic.twitter.com/OMG3uNrHAk
– NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
After this historic flyby, the Orion capsule will use lunar gravity as a “slingshot” to propel itself back home.
If all goes according to plan, this Friday the world will see them go down in style (or rather, take a “dip”) in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, California.
This is only the beginning of the Artemis era.
Today’s success is proof that we are ready to set foot on lunar dust again and, who knows, maybe soon on Mars.
Can you imagine being the first Latino or Latina to reach the Moon? What would you carry in your space suitcase? Tell us in the comments and let’s celebrate this giant step for humanity!
Filed under: Artemis II lunar orbit
