Astronauts G. Reid Wiseman, Victor J. Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, aboard Artemis II, have crossed the halfway mark between Earth and the Moon. This marks a major milestone in their journey towards a planned lunar flyby, with NASA releasing videos and images of Earth taken from inside the Orion spacecraft.
The milestone was reached about two days, five hours and 24 minutes after the spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Astronaut Christina Koch said the crew had a collective “expression of joy” for their milestone.
ALSO READ: Astronauts Aboard Artemis II Capture Breathtaking Images Of Earth — Watch Here
We're halfway there.
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 4, 2026
At the time of posting this, the Artemis II mission is about halfway to the Moon. When the astronauts arrive, they will conduct a lunar flyby and collect scientific observations of the Moon's surface. pic.twitter.com/Re8dryeX6k
Space agency NASA dropped a video showing Earth views from the Artemis II crew. The clip also showed the astronauts announcing, “We are closer to the moon than you are to us on Earth.”
“We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now, it is a beautiful sight,” Koch said during a live broadcast.
"We can see the Moon out of the docking hatch right now. It's a beautiful sight."
— NASA (@NASA) April 4, 2026
Flight day 3 is in the books, and our @NASAArtemis II crew is now closer to the Moon than to Earth. Check out highlights from our lunar mission. What's been your favorite moment so far? pic.twitter.com/mIF343JyX3
According to NASA, the Orion spacecraft was more than 229,000 kilometres (142,000 miles) from Earth early Saturday. The agency also released initial images captured from inside Orion, including a full portrait of Earth showing its deep blue oceans and swirling clouds.
These two images were taken by @astro_reid only minutes apart. The stark difference is the result of camera settings. In the first, a longer shutter speed let in much more light from Earth, while the shorter shutter speed in the second emphasizes our planet's nighttime glow. pic.twitter.com/4H5gFymlcl
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
Following a high-intensity launch and critical engine burn that set them on their historic lunar trajectory, the four astronauts have shifted to routine operations, conducting equipment checks and onboard experiments in zero gravity.
“There has been a tremendous amount of disbelief for me, it's just so extraordinary,” said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is on his first spaceflight. “I really like it up here.
The views are extraordinary. It's really fun to be floating around, it just makes me feel like a little kid.”
The crew is expected to loop around the Moon early next week, a feat not accomplished since the era of Apollo missions more than 50 years ago.
As per a report by eNCA, NASA officials said all systems are functioning well, with astronauts in “great spirits” after they had spoken to their families. They continue to do medical checks, including a CPR demonstration, and prepare for scientific observations during their closest approach to the Moon on day six of their journey.
Their Next Milestone?
The next key milestone of the approximately 10-day journey is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, when the spacecraft enters the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, where lunar gravity will have a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's. If successful, the mission could see the crew travel farther from Earth than any human in history.
“There is nothing normal about this,” said mission commander Reid Wiseman, adding, “Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realising the gravity of that.”
Artemis II is part of NASA's broader programme, aimed at returning humans to the Moon and eventually establishing a permanent presence on the lunar surface to support future deep space exploration.
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