Four astronauts have returned to Earth after a historic nine-day mission that took them farther into space than any humans before. The crew of NASA's Artemis II splashed down safely off the coast of San Diego on Friday, completing a journey that circled the moon and set a new distance record from Earth.
The mission marked a significant milestone as two of its members became the first Black man and first woman to travel to the moon. Victor Glover, 49, and Christina Koch, 46, joined fellow astronauts Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen in breaking the record for the furthest distance ever travelled from Earth. For Koch and Glover, the achievement adds to their already notable careers: Koch previously held the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, while Glover was the first Black astronaut to live aboard the International Space Station.
Glover's journey to the moon began with a childhood fascination sparked by a space shuttle launch. Born in Pomona, California, he earned a degree in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University before joining the US Navy. After flight training, he became a test pilot and flew 24 combat missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later earned three master's degrees and was selected as an astronaut candidate in 2013. Glover, who is married with four daughters, served as pilot for the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission to the ISS in 2020 before being assigned to Artemis II in 2023.
Koch, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a middle school maths teacher and a physician, has also made history with her spaceflight achievements. The crew's safe return marks the completion of the second phase of NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and eventually Mars. The astronauts will now assist in training future crews and apply data from their lunar flyby to improve flight hardware and emergency systems. They are also expected to become prominent speakers, sharing their experiences of deep space with schools and public events.
