NASA’s Artemis II mission achieved another historic milestone when the crew of the Orion spacecraft made the first-ever ship-to-ship call between a human moon mission and the International Space Station (ISS). This was the first time astronauts traveling near the Moon communicated directly with those aboard the space station orbiting Earth. During the call, Christina Koch from Artemis II spoke with Jessica Meir on the ISS. The two had previously worked together during the first all-female spacewalk in 2019.
NASA’s Mission Control facilitated this unique conversation between the four Artemis II astronauts and the four crew members aboard the ISS. Earlier in the mission, Artemis II broke a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth. The Orion spacecraft reached about 252,752 miles during its flyby of the Moon’s far side, surpassing the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles set in 1970.
As Artemis II returned to Earth, Commander Reid Wiseman shared photos taken near the Moon. One image showed Earth setting behind the Moon, reminiscent of the iconic “Earthrise” photo from Apollo 8. This mission marked the farthest humans had traveled since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The crew is scheduled to splashdown in the ocean near San Diego on Saturday, April 11, 2026, after about 10 days in space. Artemis II is a crucial step toward future missions, including Artemis III, which will test lunar landing systems, and Artemis IV, aiming to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole by 2028.