Obama hails Artemis II astronauts for historic deep space mission
By Faith Lagat, April 12, 2026Former US President Barack Obama has lauded the crew of the Artemis II mission following the successful completion of a historic deep space journey that marked a major milestone in human space exploration.
In a statement posted on April 11, 2026, Obama, who has Kenyan roots, praised the astronauts for their courage and achievement after completing a 10-day mission beyond low-Earth orbit.
“What the Artemis II astronauts did over the last 10 days was a testament to their bravery. And the fact that they traveled farther from Earth than anyone ever has, re-entered our atmosphere at more than 24,000 mph, and splashed down safely was a testament to human ingenuity. Thanks to everyone at @NASA for making this mission possible, and for taking us along for the ride,” he said.
The mission, conducted by NASA, is the first crewed flight to travel beyond low-Earth orbit in more than 50 years. It signals a renewed push toward lunar exploration under the Artemis programme.
Mission journey and achievements
Launched on April 1, 2026 using the Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center, the mission covered approximately 694,481 miles.
During the journey, the spacecraft reached a record distance of 252,756 miles from Earth during a lunar flyby, surpassing the benchmark set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
Astronauts conducted a range of critical tests, including manual spacecraft control, life support system validation, and scientific experiments on deep-space radiation and microgravity.
The crew also captured thousands of images of the Moon and Earth, providing valuable data for future missions.
Path to future lunar missions
Following a high-speed re-entry exceeding 24,000 mph, the crew was recovered safely and taken for medical evaluation before returning to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The success of Artemis II lays the groundwork for Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027, which aims to return humans to the Moon’s surface. The broader goal of the Artemis programme is to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and use it as a stepping stone for future missions to Mars.