Artemis II crew reflects on ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ moon mission<\/a><\/h4>\nThe Artemis II crew shared their awe following a successful trans-lunar ejection, marking a historic milestone as they prepare to become the first humans to travel farther into space than any previous mission in history.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nNEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are nearly halfway to the moon since launching on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n
“Since [Thursday\u2019s] trans-lunar injection burn<\/a> to send the crew around the moon, the mission continues to perform well overall, and the crew is in great spirits,” Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator for NASA\u2019s exploration systems<\/a> said in a news conference on Friday.<\/p>\nShe added, “Currently, the crew is more than 100,000 miles from Earth and about 150,000 miles to go away from the moon.<\/p>\n
“We call amazing things that humans do moonshots for a reason, and indeed, this is literally and symbolically our moonshot<\/a> that we are in the middle of.”<\/p>\nNASA RACES TO BUILD MOON BASE AS US CHALLENGES CHINA IN NEW SPACE RACE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/earth-view-artemis-moon2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n\n\nA photo of Earth taken by NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronaut Cmdr. Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday.\u00a0<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHawkins also shared two photos taken by astronaut Cmdr. Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n
The first image, Hawkins said, shows a “backlit Earth<\/a> revealing auroras as the crew heads toward the moon.”<\/p>\nShe said it was taken by astronaut Wiseman out of a window on the Orion spacecraft, and it features two auroras and zodiacal light “at the bottom right. It\u2019s visible as the Earth eclipses to sun.”<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s great to think \u2014 with the exception of our four friends \u2014 all of us are represented in this image,” Hawkins said.<\/p>\n
NASA RETURNS HUMANS TO DEEP SPACE AFTER OVER 50 YEARS WITH FEBRUARY ARTEMIS II MOON MISSION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n![\"View](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/earth-view-artemis-moon.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n\n\nThis image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn.<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA second photo taken by Wiseman after the trans-lunar injection burn, which propels a spacecraft out of the Earth\u2019s orbit, on Thursday shows the terminator line, separating day from night on Earth.<\/p>\n
“So, we continue to learn about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time and it\u2019s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day-by-day,” Hawkins said.<\/p>\n
ARTEMIS II CREW DESCRIBES LIFE ABOARD ORION SPACECRAFT ON HISTORIC JOURNEY TO THE MOON AND BACK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nArtemis II Ascent Flight Director Judd Frieling said after the translunar injection burn on Thursday that the crew did an inspection of their windows, had planned medical conferences, and while they were asleep, the ground crew checked to see how the spacecraft was functioning.<\/p>\n
And after the astronauts woke up Friday morning, they were able to talk to their families.<\/p>\n
“We had planned a trajectory correction burn,” Frieling said. “The systems are doing so well now \u2014 navigation and propulsion systems together \u2014 that that was not needed. So, we\u2019ll roll that into the next planned correction trajectory burn tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/artemis-astronauts-crew.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n\n\nThis image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew: Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover.<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTHE RACE TO THE MOON IS BACK \u2014 NASA NEEDS TO GET SERIOUS TO BEAT THE CHINESE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nHoward Hu, Orion\u2019s program manager, said that the subsystems on the spacecraft continue to perform well, the air revitalization system is “doing very well” and the propellant usage was within 5% of their predicated usage limits.<\/p>\n
He said they are working through one pressurization issue that relates<\/a> to helium that pressurizes propellant tanks that push out the oxidizer and the fuel to make some of the major burns.<\/p>\nHu said one branch had to be isolated, but it\u2019s redundant and has no impact on the mission.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n“We\u2019re able to do the rest of the burns across the mission without doing any regulation, what we call blowdown mode,” he said. “In other words, there\u2019s enough helium pressure in the tanks in the oxidizer itself that we can push out the fuel without needing to regulate or require more helium from the helium tanks.”<\/p>\n
\n![\"NASA's](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1200\/675\/artemis-ii-moon-rocket-launch-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n\n\nNASA’s Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B, Wednesday, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.<\/span> (Chris O’Meara\/AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHu also showed a photo of part of the Earth seen through a window on the spacecraft, which he said was also taken by Wiseman.<\/p>\n
“It just brings a lot of great emotion to me to see that picture being taken,” Hu said.<\/p>\n
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nHu showed another photo of the crew, joking that Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen looked like he wasn\u2019t “working that hard, so I\u2019m going to have to check to make sure if he\u2019s doing anything more than lying there on the side here, but great to see the crew. Great to see their smiling faces and hear them talk about their experiences so far.”<\/p>\n
Also on board the Orion capsule for the 10-day mission to fly around<\/a> the moon is NASA Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n
NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The four astronauts on the Artemis II mission are nearly halfway to the moon since launching on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n “Since [Thursday\u2019s] trans-lunar injection burn<\/a> to send the crew around the moon, the mission continues to perform well overall, and the crew is in great spirits,” Lakiesha Hawkins, acting deputy associate administrator for NASA\u2019s exploration systems<\/a> said in a news conference on Friday.<\/p>\n She added, “Currently, the crew is more than 100,000 miles from Earth and about 150,000 miles to go away from the moon.<\/p>\n “We call amazing things that humans do moonshots for a reason, and indeed, this is literally and symbolically our moonshot<\/a> that we are in the middle of.”<\/p>\n NASA RACES TO BUILD MOON BASE AS US CHALLENGES CHINA IN NEW SPACE RACE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A photo of Earth taken by NASA\u2019s Artemis II astronaut Cmdr. Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday.\u00a0<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Hawkins also shared two photos taken by astronaut Cmdr. Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n The first image, Hawkins said, shows a “backlit Earth<\/a> revealing auroras as the crew heads toward the moon.”<\/p>\n She said it was taken by astronaut Wiseman out of a window on the Orion spacecraft, and it features two auroras and zodiacal light “at the bottom right. It\u2019s visible as the Earth eclipses to sun.”<\/p>\n “It\u2019s great to think \u2014 with the exception of our four friends \u2014 all of us are represented in this image,” Hawkins said.<\/p>\n NASA RETURNS HUMANS TO DEEP SPACE AFTER OVER 50 YEARS WITH FEBRUARY ARTEMIS II MOON MISSION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This image provided by NASA shows a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn.<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A second photo taken by Wiseman after the trans-lunar injection burn, which propels a spacecraft out of the Earth\u2019s orbit, on Thursday shows the terminator line, separating day from night on Earth.<\/p>\n “So, we continue to learn about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time and it\u2019s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day-by-day,” Hawkins said.<\/p>\n ARTEMIS II CREW DESCRIBES LIFE ABOARD ORION SPACECRAFT ON HISTORIC JOURNEY TO THE MOON AND BACK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Artemis II Ascent Flight Director Judd Frieling said after the translunar injection burn on Thursday that the crew did an inspection of their windows, had planned medical conferences, and while they were asleep, the ground crew checked to see how the spacecraft was functioning.<\/p>\n And after the astronauts woke up Friday morning, they were able to talk to their families.<\/p>\n “We had planned a trajectory correction burn,” Frieling said. “The systems are doing so well now \u2014 navigation and propulsion systems together \u2014 that that was not needed. So, we\u2019ll roll that into the next planned correction trajectory burn tomorrow.”<\/p>\n This image from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew: Canadian astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, left, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover.<\/span> (NASA via AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n THE RACE TO THE MOON IS BACK \u2014 NASA NEEDS TO GET SERIOUS TO BEAT THE CHINESE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Howard Hu, Orion\u2019s program manager, said that the subsystems on the spacecraft continue to perform well, the air revitalization system is “doing very well” and the propellant usage was within 5% of their predicated usage limits.<\/p>\n He said they are working through one pressurization issue that relates<\/a> to helium that pressurizes propellant tanks that push out the oxidizer and the fuel to make some of the major burns.<\/p>\n Hu said one branch had to be isolated, but it\u2019s redundant and has no impact on the mission.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “We\u2019re able to do the rest of the burns across the mission without doing any regulation, what we call blowdown mode,” he said. “In other words, there\u2019s enough helium pressure in the tanks in the oxidizer itself that we can push out the fuel without needing to regulate or require more helium from the helium tanks.”<\/p>\n NASA’s Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39-B, Wednesday, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.<\/span> (Chris O’Meara\/AP)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Hu also showed a photo of part of the Earth seen through a window on the spacecraft, which he said was also taken by Wiseman.<\/p>\n “It just brings a lot of great emotion to me to see that picture being taken,” Hu said.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Hu showed another photo of the crew, joking that Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen looked like he wasn\u2019t “working that hard, so I\u2019m going to have to check to make sure if he\u2019s doing anything more than lying there on the side here, but great to see the crew. Great to see their smiling faces and hear them talk about their experiences so far.”<\/p>\n Also on board the Orion capsule for the 10-day mission to fly around<\/a> the moon is NASA Pilot Victor Glover and Mission Specialist Christina Koch.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n