NASA’s Artemis II crew is traveling farther from Earth than it has in 50 years
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NASA’s Artemis II crew is on its way to the moon, giving Americans a first-hand look at life in space as they travel farther from Earth than any crew in more than half a century.
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of the US, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, boarded the 322-meter long Orion spacecraft at 6:35 pm Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II crew is expected to orbit the moon and return.
Speaking with Fox News’ Trace Gallagher Thursday night, the four-person crew described what it’s like to be part of a mission to transport astronauts farther from Earth than any crewed flight since the Apollo era — and what it’s like to live aboard Orion as they begin their 10-day journey.
“There’s no difference between going down and going up, so, I’ve been sleeping with my feet over there and my head down here, and it’s comfortable,” said technician Christina Koch. “I think I’ll stay there for the rest of the job unless someone fires me. We’re figuring out how to make this space capsule a home.”
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The Artemis II crew, from left, Canadian astronaut and equipment technician Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, equipment technician Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear in a video conference from lunar orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)
Pilot Victor Glover said he was surprised when the crew found the “launch mission,” making the mission a reality.
“We like to say that we are prepared without expectations, but you know in the back of your mind, you hope to deliver,” he explained. “And when we got really close, it was like, wait, we’re getting ready to go into space. And when those hard gears came on, you know, it was a ride where you’re trying to be an expert, but the kid inside you wants to explode and just scream and scream.”
Glover thanked NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team and the launch management team, who have been preparing for the mission for months.
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The Artemis II rocket was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. It is the first time in 50 years that NASA has sent astronauts to orbit the moon. (Source: NASA)
“It was an example that they were working hard recently that we presented,” he said. “Although we didn’t really watch, but it sounds good.”
As the crew answered questions, they passed a floating microphone in zero gravity. The crew had just completed a trans-lunar injection burn, moving the mission on its way to the moon.
“We are definitely 100% on the way to the moon,” said Commander Reid Wiseman. “The moon’s gravity will take over in a few days here and start pulling us to the far side.”
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From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch participate in a press conference on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington. (NASA/Keegan Barber)
Wiseman highlighted the importance of Artemis II’s mission.
“At the end of our trans-lunar injection here, about an hour and a half ago, we just really looked at each other. And I know the United States did this in 1968 to 1972, but just – this is unbelievable that we can put our minds to something and pull it off. This is an incredible technological achievement,” he said.
Koch added that the crew was proud to have traveled farther from Earth than any crew mission in more than 50 years.
“We are not a group that lives on high standards, but it is an important milestone,” he said. “It’s important for people to understand and wrap their heads around what’s the latest in what we’re doing? What does this mean compared to what we’ve done in the past? What are we going to push in the future?”
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The Artemis II crew was launched to the moon on Thursday after a nearly 5-minute burn put the Orion spacecraft on its way out of Earth’s orbit for about 8 days to the moon and back. (NASA)
Artemis II follows the defunct Artemis I probe and marks a major step toward future missions, including Artemis III, which is expected to include a lunar probe from SpaceX, Blue Origin or both, according to NASA.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
