Artemis II Crew Reaches Halfway Point to the Moon

The astronauts aboard Artemis II have officially reached the midpoint of their mission to the moon.

NASA shared the news on X over the weekend, excitedly stating, “Lock in, we’re Moonbound.”

American astronaut Reid Wiseman noted that he and his fellow crew members have somewhat lost track of time during their journey through space.

“We heard a rumor up here that it is actually Saturday back on Earth. We have definitely lost track of the days,” he said in a voice message shared by NASA.

Interestingly, the crew woke to the sounds of “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan, setting a light-hearted tone for the day.

It seems the crew is on track to break the record established by Apollo 13—55 years ago. Apollo 13 took four days, six hours, and 45 minutes to reach lunar orbit.

The current crew, comprising three Americans and one Canadian, is expected to arrive in the moon’s orbit on Monday after launching from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. Following a flyby where they will capture images of the moon’s far side, they plan to splash down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10.

Artemis II serves as a crucial test to demonstrate NASA’s new deep-space capabilities, allowing for human travel beyond low Earth orbit after many years of development. The mission will assess life-support systems, navigation, communications, and manual controls.

NASA officials reported that the Orion spacecraft remains in “very good health” following a routine check-up conducted on Friday.