Donald Trump placed a call to the four astronauts aboard Artemis II, offering his congratulations on their milestone flight and reflecting on what it could mean for what comes next.
The US president spoke with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, reaching the crew via phone as they travelled inside the Orion capsule on Monday evening.
The conversation came shortly after the mission passed the previous benchmark for the greatest distance humans have ever been from Earth — a mark first set during Apollo 13 in 1970.
“At long last, America is back and is stronger than ever before. We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world,” he proudly told them. “Your mission paves the way for America’s return to the lunar surface very soon.”
The achievement represents the most distant human journey ever recorded and is being framed as an early stepping stone in NASA’s longer-term aims, including the groundwork needed for an eventual mission to Mars.
Before any Mars plans can become reality, though, NASA will still need to complete a crewed landing on the lunar surface — something that won’t happen during the current 10-day flight and would require a separate mission.
Artemis II is now moving through its later phase after looping around the moon, a maneuver that also allowed the crew to take in a rare perspective on deep space.
But the trip hasn’t been solely focused on collecting data. The mission has also leaned into the legacy of earlier lunar flights, including a total solar eclipse that offered the astronauts a clear look toward the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 landing sites from nearly 50 years ago.
It’s expected to be roughly two more years before astronauts return to the moon for a landing and add their own chapter to the history of human exploration.
That sense of continuity was underscored by a message from the late Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, recorded two months before his death last August and transmitted to the Orion capsule from Mission Control.
The poignant message was beamed up to the Orion capsule from Mission Control and said: “Welcome to my old neighborhood,” said Lovell, who also flew on Apollo 8, humanity’s first lunar visit. “It’s a historic day and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view.”
Adding to the tribute, the Artemis II crew also carried a silk mission patch from Lovell’s spacesuit — the one worn during his famed Apollo 8 journey to the moon.