President Donald Trump congratulated the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission on Monday night, praising their historic journey to the far side of the Moon. The astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—became the first humans in over 50 years to observe the Moon's distant hemisphere with the naked eye. They also set a new record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth, reaching 252,756 miles.
During the mission, the crew experienced a 40-minute communication blackout while on the far side of the Moon, relying solely on their onboard systems. Contact was restored once the spacecraft re-emerged from behind the lunar surface. Trump spoke with the astronauts via a live call, describing them as 'modern-day pioneers' and inviting them to the White House. He also hinted at future missions, including a potential voyage to Mars.
The crew launched aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is expected to return to Earth after approximately 10 days in space. The mission marks a significant milestone in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars.