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Nasa’s Artemis II crew to reach unseen far side of the Moon on flyby

EuroNews · · 596 words · By Malek Fouda
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/04/06/nasas-artemis-ii-crew-to-reach-unseen-f…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

16 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 6
help Insufficient Evidence 5
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
info Single Source 1
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“NASA’s Artemis II crew are expected to reach their destination on Monday where the four astronauts aboard the Orion will – for the first time – look at the lunar far side with the naked eye.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia entries confirming Artemis II astronauts will observe the lunar far side with the naked eye on Monday.
verified
“The fly-by will last approximately six hours before the astronauts head back home.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries mention the mission duration (10 days) and launch date but do not specify the six-hour flyby duration. No other sources confirm this claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 through Space Policy Directive 1. By 2028…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a human spaceflight program by the United States. The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972; mid-ter…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Artemis_missions
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II is an ongoing United States spaceflight mission sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026. The ten-day mission is crewed by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
verified
“Three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut lifted off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on the 1st of April for a nearly 10-day mission”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia: Artemis II explicitly states the mission launched on April 1, 202🕸, and includes three American astronauts and one Canadian, confirming the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II is an ongoing United States spaceflight mission sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026. The ten-day mission is crewed by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis V is planned to be the fourth crewed mission and second lunar landing of the NASA-led Artemis program. The mission is expected to see the first efforts by NASA to begin building a permanent Mo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_V
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 through Space Policy Directive 1. By 2028…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
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“The mission, humanity’s first trip to the Moon since 1972”
CORROBORATED
Confirmed by EuroNews, France24, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and The Conversation as the first crewed lunar mission since 1972. Wikipedia also corroborates this.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program led by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), formally established in 2017 through Space Policy Directive 1. By 2028…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_program
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Artemis program is a human spaceflight program by the United States. The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972; mid-ter…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Artemis_missions
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artemis II is an ongoing United States spaceflight mission sending four astronauts on a flyby around the Moon. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026. The ten-day mission is crewed by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_II
+ 5 more evidence sources
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“That will make them our planet’s farthest emissaries as they swing around the Moon without stopping on Monday and then hightail it back home.”
CORROBORATED
South China Morning Post and The Guardian independently confirm astronauts will travel further from Earth than any humans before.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — After repeated setbacks, Nasa is sending four astronauts around the moon and further from Earth than ever before
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — If all goes smoothly, as the Orion spacecraft whips around the moon, the astronauts – Americans Glover, Koch and Wiseman along with Canadian Jeremy Hansen – will have travelled further from Earth than…
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/05/artemis-ii-a…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Astronauts on the historic Artemis II mission are expected to reach the far side of the moon on Monday, venturing deeper into space than any humans before them.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/05/artemis-ii-a…
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“Their roughly six-hour lunar flyby promises views of the Moon’s far side that were too dark or too difficult to see by the 24 Apollo astronauts who preceded them.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia entries addressing Apollo astronauts' visibility of the lunar far side.
info
“A total solar eclipse also awaits them as the Moon blocks the Sun, exposing snippets of shimmering corona.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Confirmed by Phys.org about the total solar eclipse during the mission, but no other sources corroborate this claim.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — A total solar eclipse also awaits them as the moon blocks the sun, exposing snippets of shimmering corona.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-artemis-ii-apollo-distance-moo…
help
“Commander Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert reached a maximum 400,171 kilometres from Earth before making their life-saving U-turn on Apollo 13.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia entries confirming Apollo 13's maximum distance.
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“Artemis II’s astronauts are following the same figure-eight path since they are neither orbiting the Moon nor landing on it. But their distance from Earth should exceed Apollo 13’s by more than 6,600 kilometres.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia entries confirming Artemis II's distance exceeds Apollo 13 by 6,600 km.
help
“Apollo 13's astronauts missed out on a Moon landing when one of their oxygen tanks ruptured on the way there in 1970.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in cross-references, web search, or Wikipedia entries confirming the oxygen tank rupture date on Apollo 13.
schedule
“With the three lives in jeopardy, Mission Control pivoted to a free-return lunar trajectory to get them home as fast and efficiently as possible. This routing relies on the gravity of Earth and the Moon, and minimal fuel.”
PENDING
schedule
“It worked for Apollo 13, turning it into what was later dubbed as NASA’s greatest 'successful failure.'”
PENDING
schedule
“At closest approach, they will come within 6,550 kilometres of the Moon.”
PENDING
schedule
“Once Artemis II departs the lunar neighbourhood, it will take four days to return home. The capsule will aim for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10, nine days after its Florida launch.”
PENDING
schedule
“During the flight back, the astronauts will link up via radio with the crew of the orbiting International Space Station, where NASA colleagues are poised to have a cosmic chitchat.”
PENDING
schedule
“But the crew still will be able to make out 'definite chunks of the far side that have never been seen' by humans, said NASA geologist Kelsey Young, including a good portion of Orientale Basin.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.