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Artemis II in numbers: 10 facts about NASA’s historic Moon mission

Artemis II, which launched on April 10 after weeks of delay, has successfully orbited the Moon and returned to Earth with a wealth of data to fuel future lunar missions.

BY PRANJAL PRANIT

PUBLISHED APR 13, 2026

Artemis II NASA astronauts (left to right) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen stand in the white room on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B. (Cover Image Source: NASA/Frank Michaux)

NASA has just taken the first step towards building a Moon Base with the successful completion of its Artemis II mission. The mission featured an international collaboration of industry partners and several countries and has provided the agency with a tremendous amount of data, which will help engineers work on enhancing the chances of success for Artemis III as well. But before we look ahead, let's look back for a bit at some of the numbers that Artemis II put up.

NASA’s Artemis II crew share a group hug at Ellington Field on April 11, 2026. (Image Source: NASA | Bill Stafford)

1. First crewed launch of NASA's most powerful rocket

NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carried humans to space for the first time ever as part of Artemis II, producing 8.8 million lbs of thrust at lift-off.

Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Representative Image Source: NASA | Brandon Hancock) — Lights illuminate NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image Source: NASA | Brandon Hancock)

2. Four CubeSats

Deployed in high Earth orbit, these four small satellites were attached to the Orion stage adapter of SLS. They were TACHELES by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), K-Rad Cube by the Korea AeroSpace Administration, SHMS (Saudi HEO Magnetosphere Satellite), and ATENEA from Argentina.

Artemis II secondary payloads. (Image Source: NASA/Kevin O'Brien)

3. Six astronaut health studies

Six astronaut health studies were conducted during the mission. Advance Human Spaceflight Research for characterization of effects of deep space travel on humans, ARCHeR (Artemis Research for Crew Health & Readiness), AVATAR (A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response), Immune Biomarkers for studies into effects of spaceflight on immune system via collection of blood and saliva samples, Artemis II Standard Measures for banking health data, and Radiation Studies using 5,600 passive and 34 active radiation sensors on board the Orion spacecraft.

4. Farthest distance traveled by human beings in space

Traveling 252,756 miles from Earth, the Artemis II crew ventured deeper into space than any humans before them. This record eclipsed Apollo 13’s 56-year-old record by 4,101 miles.

Current position of Orion on its free return trajectory, relative to the Moon’s, Earth’s (in the background), and the Sun’s position as of 5:47 am EDT on April 6, 2026. (Image Source: NASA AROW) — Position of Orion on its free return trajectory, relative to the Moon’s, Earth’s (in the background), and the Sun’s position as of 5:47 am EDT on April 6, 2026. (Representative Image Source: NASA AROW)

5. 4,067 miles from the surface of the Moon

At its closest approach to the Moon, Orion was 4,067 miles from its surface. This took place after the crew entered a planned communications blackout, which lasted about 40 minutes. The latter happened as the Moon obscured signals from Deep Space Network antennas located at different locations on Earth, which form part of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program.

6. 7,000+ pictures taken during lunar flyby

Over 7,000 images were captured by the crew during the lunar flyby spanning more than 6 hours thanks to the Nikon D5 and Z9 cameras on board. The first set of pictures revealed some otherworldly views.

Captured by the Artemis II crew, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen with the shadowed terminator. (Image Source: NASA) — Captured by the Artemis II crew, the heavily cratered terrain of the eastern edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin is seen with the shadowed terminator. (Representative Image Source: NASA)

7. Two craters discovered

Two new craters, which the crew could spot without any visual aid, were discovered and named. A crater to the northwest of the Orientale basin was named 'Integrity,' after the spacecraft the crew journeyed in. The second crater was named ‘Carrol’ as a tribute to Commander Reid Wiseman’s wife, who died battling cancer in 2020. This crater straddles the near and far sides of the Moon (northeast of the Integrity crater).

Graphic view of the Moon highlights unnamed craters near the Orientale Basin that the crew proposed naming “Integrity” and “Carroll” during Artemis II. (Image Source: NASA)

8. Six meteoroid impacts seen

During the lunar flyby, as the Moon eclipsed the Sun from the Artemis II crew's view, causing a total solar eclipse, the astronauts observed as many as six flashes of light created by meteoroids impacting the lunar surface.

Captured on Orion by the crew of Artemis II on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun, revealing the corona and visible stars. Earthlight faintly illuminates the Moon’s surface. (Cover Image Source: NASA) — Captured on Orion by the crew of Artemis II on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun, revealing the corona and visible stars. Earthlight faintly illuminates the Moon’s surface. (Representative Image Source: NASA)

9. Highest speed attained

The peak velocity of Orion was 24,664 miles per hour. With the spacecraft having jettisoned its European service module, Integrity fell into Earth's atmosphere with rapidly increasing velocity. Peak velocity was reached just as the spacecraft hit the entry interface of the Earth at an altitude of 400,000 feet.

A crescent Earth photographed by the crew of Artemis II on their return after completing lunar prospecting. (Representative Image Source: NASA)

10. Mission duration

From lift-off to splashdown, the mission spanned a total of 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes, spanning 694,481 miles in total. The mission launched at 6:35 pm EDT on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and splashed down at 8:07 pm EDT on April 10, 2026, off the coast of San Diego, California.

The Artemis II Orion crew capsule (Integrity) splashes down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. (Cover Image Source: NASA / YouTube) — The Artemis II Orion crew capsule (Integrity) splashes down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. (Representative Image Source: NASA / YouTube)

Among other facts about Artemis II are its demographic milestones. It was the first Moon mission for a woman, a non-American and a person of color. Also, during re-entry, the spacecraft achieved 0.4% flight path accuracy, enabling a splashdown within one mile of its target.

(L) Artemis II crewmates Reid Wiseman, left, and Jeremy Hansen (CSA) seated after splashdown at the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha. (R) Also seen: Victor Glover, left, and Christina Koch, right. (Cover Image Source: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images) — (L) Artemis II crewmates Reid Wiseman, left, and Jeremy Hansen (CSA) seated after splashdown at the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha. (R) Also seen: Victor Glover, left, and Christina Koch, right. (Image Source: Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

The Artemis program has now received the much-needed boost for NASA to get closer to its desired launch cadence of two launches a year. With more than three years between Artemis I and Artemis II, the next mission is slated for 2027. Its hardware, such as the core stage of SLS, is already nearing arrival at Kennedy Space Center. The central objective of Artemis III will be to test the industry partner-provided human landing systems in Earth’s orbit, to be used for lunar touchdowns in 2028 for Artemis IV and V. Both Blue Origin and SpaceX have been known to have tests planned for their Blue Moon and Starship V3 spacecraft, respectively, in the near future. The likes of the uncrewed CLPS missions will also help NASA prospect the lunar terrain for the determination of landing and settlement locations.

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Artemis II in numbers: 10 facts about NASA’s historic Moon mission

1. First crewed launch of NASA's most powerful rocket

2. Four CubeSats

3. Six astronaut health studies

4. Farthest distance traveled by human beings in space

5. 4,067 miles from the surface of the Moon

6. 7,000+ pictures taken during lunar flyby

7. Two craters discovered

8. Six meteoroid impacts seen

9. Highest speed attained

10. Mission duration

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