Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts made more history Tuesday: calling their friends aboard the International Space Station hundreds of thousands of miles away as they headed home from the moon. It was the first moonship-to-spaceship radio linkup ever. NASA's Apollo crews had no off-the-planet company back in the 1960s and 1970s, the last time humanity set sail for deep space.

Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called out to the station crew: "We have been waiting for this like you can't imagine."

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive supporters of NASA's Artemis program are highlighting the mission's contributions to international cooperation and climate science. The Artemis II crew includes Victor Glover, who would become the first Black person to travel beyond low Earth orbit, and Christina Koch, who previously participated in the world's first all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir aboard the ISS in 2019.

"This mission represents what's possible when we invest in scientific discovery and international partnerships," said one progressive policy advocate who tracks space policy. "Seeing astronauts from different backgrounds working together in deep space sends a powerful message about what we can achieve."

The left also emphasizes the Earth observation data collected during the mission. Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, "but how much blackness there was around it" — a perspective that climate advocates say underscores the fragility of the planet.

What the Right Is Saying

Conservative supporters of the Artemis program are emphasizing American leadership in space exploration and the technological achievements of the mission. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, appointed by the Trump administration, has overseen the Artemis program and celebrated its progress.

"This mission proves American ingenuity is alive and well," said a conservative commentator following the mission. "We're leading humanity back to the moon, and that matters for national prestige and technological advancement."

Some fiscal conservatives have raised concerns about program costs, noting that while the mission has gone well overall, continued funding for Artemis will require demonstrating value to taxpayers. The program aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon, with Artemis III targeting a lunar landing in 2027 and Artemis IV scheduled for 2028.

What the Numbers Show

The Artemis II mission set a new distance record for humanity at approximately 267,000 miles from Earth during the lunar flyby. The crew has beamed back more than 50 gigabytes of pictures and other data from the lunar rendezvous.

The four Artemis II astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of Canada — are scheduled to splash down off the San Diego coast on Friday, wrapping up the nearly 10-day test flight. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha left port Tuesday for the target zone.

The mission encountered minor technical issues, including a toilet that has been on-and-off limited since last week's launch. NASA Administrator Isaacman said after the lunar flyby: "We definitely have to fix some of the plumbing" ahead of the next Artemis mission. Engineers suspect a clogged filter in the overboard flushing system.

The Artemis program sets the stage for next year's Artemis III, a lunar lander docking demonstration in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will follow in 2028 with two astronauts attempting to land near the lunar south pole.

The Bottom Line

The Artemis II mission continues to exceed expectations, with Tuesday's radio linkup marking another historic first in human space exploration. The crew is on track for a Friday splashdown off San Diego, which will complete the first human lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.

While minor technical issues like the toilet system need addressing before longer missions, NASA leadership says they will "breathe easier" once the crew completes reentry and is safely under parachutes in the water. The success of Artemis II paves the way for Artemis III's planned lunar landing, which would mark humanity's return to the moon's surface after more than five decades.