Astronauts on Artemis II Pass Tremendous Milestone: They’re the Farthest From Earth Any Humans Have Travelled

Astronauts on Artemis II Pass Tremendous Milestone: They're the Farthest From Earth Any Humans Have Travelled

Ahead of the Artemis II launch, Sen. Cantwell visited WA space companies enabling the first manned moon mission in 50 Years

EDMONDS, WA - Just now, at approximately 7:07 p.m. ET, the crew of the Artemis II mission reached a historic milestone: They've traveled to the farthest point of their journey, and farther from Earth than any other humans in history. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that oversees NASA, issued the following statement:

"Humanity reaching farther into the cosmos than ever before is a triumph of American ingenuity - and it's made possible both by the brave crew of astronauts who have inspired the world and the countless scientists, engineers, and manufacturers whose years of hard work turned this vision into reality. This milestone wouldn't have been possible without the technology that is designed, built, and tested in Washington state's 'Silicon Valley of Space.'"

Last week, Sen. Cantwell toured two of the dozens of Washington state companies that are supplying NASA's Artemis Mission - Karman Space & Defense in Mukilteo, and L3Harris in Redmond.

READ MORE:

The Seattle Times: Washington's space economy powers the Artemis II moonshot

KIRO 7: Artemis II: Washington's hand in the upcoming historic flight around the moon

GeekWire: Watch NASA count down to the launch of humanity's first moon voyage in nearly 54 years

Sen. Cantwell has been a champion for our nation's space industry and its aerospace workforce, and currently oversees NASA and the space industry as Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee. Last month, Sen. Cantwell led bipartisan, unanimous passage through the Commerce Committee of the NASA Authorization Act of 2026, which confirms support for the Artemis missions.

Fact Sheet: Washington's Space Economy and Sen. Cantwell's Support for the Artemis Program

Karman Space & Defense is a manufacturer of mission-critical subsystems for launch vehicles, spacecraft, and hypersonic systems. The company's Mukilteo campus produces components for the Orion capsule that is flying on the Artemis II mission. This includes the capsule's propellant-drive hatch release mechanisms, which allow for crew egress from the capsule in the event of emergency, and forward bay cover thrusters, which expose the capsule's parachutes and allows them to deploy after reentry. Karman also has facilities in Arlington and Skagit. Altogether, more than 500 Karman employees work in Washington state. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw two systems which are flying on the Artemis II mission, including mission-critical safety systems. Sen. Cantwell also discussed how Karman's leading-edge composites are used in space programs.

L3Harris specializes in rocket propulsion, holding contracts to provide many of the thrusters used on Artemis. The company's Redmond facility has manufactured spacecraft thrusters for NASA since 1968 and has supported famous missions such as Viking and Voyager. More than 400 employees work at the Redmond campus. Last week, Sen. Cantwell saw replicas of the 21 thrusters that will be used to return the four astronauts on Artemis II safely back to Earth.

Artemis II is the first crewed flight of the Artemis missions, designed to confirm that the SLS rocket and Orion space vehicle operate as designed with crew onboard in a deep space environment. The crew will spend 10 days in space and complete a lunar flyby, reaching the farthest point humans have ever traveled, before returning to Earth and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

• All media assets from last week's tours are available HERE
• Video of the Karman (Mukilteo) tour is available HERE; photos HERE
• Video of the L3Harris (Redmond) presentation is available HERE; photos HERE
• A transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks at L3Harris is HERE
• A fact sheet on Washington's space economy and Sen. Cantwell's support for Artemis program is HERE.