The Artemis II crew’s 10-day journey around Earth and the Moon – Timeline of NASA’s historic lunar missions

NASA’s Artemis II mission ended with a perfect splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, ending a nearly 10-day journey that took four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans had gone before. The Orion capsule “Integrity” landed by parachute in calm waters off California, with all crew members confirmed safe.Traveling a total of 694,392 miles (more than 1.1 million km), the mission marked humanity’s first crewed trip around the Moon since the Apollo era and an important step toward future lunar landings.

Here is a timeline of the Artemis II mission:

1–2 April: Launch, orbit and critical system verification

The mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on April 1 aboard NASA’s Space Launch System. After separation, Orion entered Earth orbit, where astronauts conducted extensive checks on life-support systems, propulsion, avionics, and solar arrays.This stage served as “shakedown cruise”, ensuring that the spacecraft could safely support human life before committing to deep space travel. Engineers also verified the launch abort system and onboard batteries, which are critical for emergency scenarios.

April 2–5: Translunar injection and deep space transit

On April 2, Orion performed a powerful translunar injection burn, accelerating to approximately 22,000 mph and setting course for the Moon. Over the next three days, the crew traveled approximately 240,000 miles, crossing the Van Allen radiation belts and entering deep space.Astronauts conducted experiments on the effects of microgravity, monitoring navigation systems, radiation shielding, and spacecraft autonomy. The spacecraft operated largely on automated systems, requiring minimal human intervention.

5–6 April: Closest approach and record-breaking lunar flight

Around April 5, Artemis II reached the Moon, executing a close flyby that brought it within a few thousand miles of the lunar surface. The crew took high-resolution images and studied the lunar terrain, including target areas for future missions.Using the Moon’s gravity, Orion performed a slingshot maneuver to begin its return journey. During this phase, the mission set a new record by traveling 252,756 miles from Earth – surpassing the Apollo 13 record.The flyby also marked a historic milestone, including the first woman in the crew, the first black astronaut, and the first non-American to participate in a lunar mission.

April 6–10: Return journey and re-entry preparations

The return phase lasted for the next three to four days, during which the crew conducted final system checks and scientific observations. Engineers closely monitored the spacecraft’s heat shield performance data in preparation for re-entry, considered the most dangerous phase of the mission.Following lessons learned from the Artemis I test flight, Orion’s trajectory was carefully adjusted to minimize heat stress.

April 11: High-risk re-entry and ‘perfect bulls-eye’ splashdown

On April 11, Orion re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at 32 times the speed of sound. Temperatures reached nearly 5,000°F as the capsule encountered intense friction and ionized plasma caused a loss of contact for more than six minutes, Reuters reports.Contact was restored moments before the parachute deployed, slowing the capsule to about 25 km/h before precise splashdown. NASA commentators described it as “a perfect bull’s-eye splashdown”.Recovery teams from NASA and the US Navy secured the capsule within two hours. The astronauts were taken via helicopter to the USS John P Murtha for medical examinations before returning to Houston.The mission’s success validates key technologies required for future Artemis missions, including the planned crewed moon landing, and reinforces NASA’s overarching goal of sending humans to Mars.