Watch: Artemis II’s historic lunar flyby… in 90 seconds

One of humanity’s most anticipated recent deep-space milestones, the Artemis II lunar flyby mission, has been condensed into a tight, action-packed 90-second recap that highlights the mission’s groundbreaking achievements. At the heart of this mission are four astronauts who launched aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, embarking on a 10-day journey around the moon that pushed human space exploration further than it has ever gone before. When the mission reached its farthest point from our home planet, the crew officially set a new world record for the greatest distance any human beings have ever traveled from Earth, capping off a historic test flight that paves the way for future lunar landings and long-term deep-space exploration. The condensed recap offers space enthusiasts and casual observers alike a quick, vivid look at the key moments of the mission, from launch to the lunar flyby and the craft’s planned return to Earth, capturing the significance of this step forward in humanity’s quest to explore beyond low-Earth orbit. As the first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years following the Apollo program, Artemis II represents a new era of lunar exploration, laying critical groundwork for the Artemis III mission that will see the first woman and first person of color walk on the lunar surface. This record-setting flight is more than just a test of spacecraft systems—it is a proof of concept that human crews can safely travel to deep space, opening the door for future scientific research on the moon and eventual crewed missions to Mars.