Artemis II Soars: NC Astronaut Christina Koch Now 40,000 Miles From Earth After Historic Liftoff

First woman to circle the Moon begins 10‑day deep‑space journey aboard Orion

By BC New Staff Writer

NASA’s Artemis II mission lifted off successfully from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday evening, sending four astronauts on the first crewed voyage toward the Moon in more than 50 years.

Among them is Christina Koch, the North Carolina–raised engineer and record‑setting astronaut who is now on track to become the first woman to travel around the Moon.

Riding atop NASA’s 322‑foot Space Launch System rocket, the crew reached space within minutes and began a series of system checks in Earth orbit before committing to the deep‑space trajectory.

As of the time of this publication — The Orion spacecraft is now approximately 40,000 miles from Earth, continuing its climb toward a high‑Earth orbit that will sling the crew toward the Moon. NASA’s mission profile confirms Orion will refine its path to a “safe” high orbit of roughly 44,525 miles before heading outward.

Koch, who grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from the NC School of Science and Mathematics before earning two engineering degrees from NC State University, is serving as Mission Specialist. She previously set the world record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and participated in the first all‑female spacewalk.

The Artemis II crew – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen – will spend about 10 days on a sweeping lunar flyby without landing. Their path will eventually take them more than 250,000 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo‑era distance records as they loop around the Moon’s far side.

NASA leaders called the launch a defining moment for the nation’s return to deep space, marking the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972.

The mission will test life‑support systems, communications, navigation, and manual piloting capabilities essential for Artemis III – the mission planned to return humans to the lunar surface.

For North Carolina, the milestone is deeply personal. Koch’s journey continues the state’s long legacy in aviation and space exploration—from the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight at Kitty Hawk to today’s deep‑space missions.

Artemis II will continue climbing through the day as the crew prepares for its translunar injection burn, the maneuver that will send them on their historic path around the Moon.

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