NASA's Artemis II mission is nearing its conclusion as the crew embarks on their return journey to Earth following a historic lunar flyby that set a new distance record for human spaceflight.
The astronauts have crossed the midpoint between the Moon and Earth, with NASA stating they are 'halfway home.'
The Orion spacecraft is expected to land off the California coast, where recovery operations are planned.
The US Navy's USS John P. Murtha is set to retrieve both the astronauts and the spacecraft after splashdown.
During the mission, the crew traveled approximately 252,756 miles from Earth while passing the Moon's far side, setting a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled in space.
This milestone surpasses the previous record set by Apollo 13.
