Artemis II crew returns to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for first time

The Artemis II crew returned to NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 8 for the first time since their launch more than three months earlier, according to Florida Today. The four astronauts launched atop the Space Launch System rocket from Pad 39B on April 1 and flew around the moon in their Orion spacecraft, reaching 252,760 miles from Earth and breaking the distance record set by Apollo 13. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen visited the spacecraft in post-processing. Wiseman said it was very emotional to see the vehicle. The crew reflected on their 10-day mission and discussed the upcoming Artemis III flight, which could launch as soon as next year to test lunar landers in low Earth orbit ahead of a planned 2028 lunar landing. Wiseman said handing the "red baton" to Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik was deeper than expected. Koch said the Artemis III crew will take the mission farther and innovate with their own frame of mind. Hansen addressed his departure from the Canadian Space Agency, saying he would not phrase it as stepping back but rather using his platform to support Canadian talent at NASA. Glover emphasized the need to train future moonwalkers, trust them and turn them loose.