Artemis II astronauts are 184 times higher than the ISS. Here's why

Any human who travels more than 62 miles high has successfully reached the internationally-recognizedboundary of outer space, known as the Kármán Line.

ThoseArtemis II astronauts? They're just alittlebit further than that.

How far exactly inspaceare they? To put it in relatable context, the Orion crew capsule the Artemis II crew is riding on a 10-day trip around the moon is, as of the morning of April 2, way,wayhigher than theInternational Space Station.

And theyhave a lot further to go yet.

Ahead of the Artemis II astronauts will be about four days of traveling toward the moon, wherethey should make historyby traveling about a quarter-of-a-million miles from Earth. From there, they'll swing around the moon and end their journey with about685,000 miles on Orion's odometer.

Artemis II and it's crew of four lift off from Kennedy Space Center April 1, 2026 on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> People set cameras to photograph NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby mission, with the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, on Pad 39B ahead of the launch of the Artemis II mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., March 31, 2026. The rocket is scheduled for an April 1, 2026, 6:24 p.m. launch of the 10-day mission.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The countdown clock runs as NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft sit on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Photographers set up remote cameras inside Pad 39B March 31, 2026 in advance of the launch of Artemis II.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The Highland Mint in Melbourne, Fla. has minted an Artemis II collector coin.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 31, 2026, ahead of the crewed lunar mission.

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See the moment Artemis II lifts off for historic moon mission

Artemis IIand it's crew of four lift off from Kennedy Space Center April 1, 2026 on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

Here's what to knowas the Artemis II astronauts begin their crucial test flight, aimed at setting the stage for aNASA moon landing in 2028.

Artemis II:Here's why Artemis II isn't landing on the moon - and what mission could

Where is Artemis II now?

NASA's Artemis II missiongot off the groundat 6:35 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 1, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The agency's towering 322-footSpace Launch System rocketprovided the initial burst of power topropel the Orion spacecraftwith the astronauts inside on its way.

What followed the launch was aseries of complex stepswithin the first few hours of the mission to set the stage of the Artemis II crew to begin the 10-day journey around the moon in the Orion capsule.

As of the morning of April 2, the astronauts continue to orbit Earth about 46,000 miles high.

Artemis II astronauts orbiting Earth 184 times higher than ISS

That height is about 184 times higher than the orbit of theInternational Space Station, which is typically about 250 miles above Earth.

Theaging 25-year-old orbital outposthasseven astronauts on board, including three Americans, all of whom are taking part in scientific experiments designed for microgravity and helping to maintain the station.

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Recently, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williamsconducted the first spacewalk of the yearoutside the station, suiting up to lay the groundwork for the future installation of solar arrays.

What's the difference between low-Earth and high-Earth orbit?

The space station circles our planet at an altitude referred to aslow-Earth orbit, which is closer to Earth's atmosphere and allows the outpost to move more quickly around Earth than objects further out in space. In fact, in a typical day, the ISS orbits Earth about 16 times, according toNASA.

SpaceX's Starlink satellitesandAmazon's LEO satellites, which provide commercial broadband internet services, also operate in low-Earth orbit in order to offer higher connection speeds.

The Orion spacecraft that the Artemis II astronauts are riding, on the other hand, is for the time being in a high-Earth orbit.

That altitude will eventually allow the astronauts to prepare Orion for a maneuver to raise the vehicle's perigee – an astronomical term referring to the point at which an object is nearest to Earth in its continuous orbit. The maneuver will set the Orion spacecraft up for operations to send it on a four-day trip toward the moon, known as a translunar injection burn.

The Space Launch System rocket Artemis II begins its journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B March 19, 2026.

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Inside NASA's Artemis mission to the moon

When will Artemis II reach the moon?

If all goes according to schedule, Artemis II is due to reach the moon and make a historic lunar flyby Monday, April 6.

The crew – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen – are ultimately setting out to test the Orion capsule as NASA eyesbuilding a lunar settlementin the years ahead.

Swooping around the moon's far side, the astronauts aboard Orion are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans ever have – surpassing the record of 248,655 miles set in 1970 during the infamousApollo 13mission. Whizzing by the moon up to 6,000 miles above the surface, the astronauts will also glimpse the celestial body's full disk, seeing sights that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed.

The crew of Artemis II (from left: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman) answer questions at a press conference as their Space Launch System rocket is transported to Pad 39B January 17, 2026. Artemis II is tentatively scheduled to launch on a mission to th Moon in early February. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

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NASA's Artemis 2 mission to fly 4 astronauts around moon. Photos of crew

How long is the Artemis II mission? Here's when they'll land on Earth

With the moon rendezvous complete, the astronauts will then make a four-day journey back to Earth, using our planet's gravity to naturallypull Orion back home, negating the need for propulsion or much fuel.

Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, a protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.

The capsule will then make a water landing likely Friday, April 10, in the Pacific Ocean near California, after which five orange airbags will inflate around the top of the spacecraft and flip the capsule into an upright position. After the landing, the crew would exit the vehicle ontoa recovery vesselwithin about two hours.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How far from Earth are the Artemis II astronauts? Higher than ISS

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 02, 2026

Artemis II astronauts are 184 times higher than the ISS. Here's why

Any human who travels more than 62 miles high has successfully reached the internationally-recognizedboundary of outer sp...

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Passengers Left in Middle of Busy Traffic After Over 100 Self-Driving Taxis Stop Running in 'System Malfunction'

Over 100 self-driving taxis in China stopped mid-traffic due to a system malfunction, stranding passengers in busy streets

NEED TO KNOW

• No injuries were reported, though videos posted online showed widespread disruption and at least one crash involving a halted vehicle.

• The incident adds to growing concerns about autonomous vehicle safety, following recent issues in the U.S. involving driverless cars

Passengers in Wuhan, China, were left stranded in the middle of busy streets after a large group of self-driving taxis stopped working at the same time.

A mass outage involving at least 100 robotaxis caused the vehicles to halt mid-traffic on Tuesday evening, with authorities later attributing the disruption to a "system malfunction." Officials did not provide further details, and no injuries were reported, per theAssociated Press.

Videoscirculating on social media showed driverless cars sitting motionless in active roadways, some blocking lanes and intersections.In one clip, a crash involving a stopped vehicle could be seen, though theBBC reportedthere were no injuries and that passengers were able to exit the vehicles safely.

The vehicles are operated by Apollo Go, an autonomous ride-hailing service run by Chinese tech company Baidu. The company has been expanding its robotaxi operations across China and has plans to grow internationally, according toCNBC.

For passengers inside the cars, the experience was both confusing and unsettling.

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According to the Associated Press, one passenger told Chinese media that their robotaxi stopped shortly after turning a corner. A message displayed on the vehicle's screen read, "Driving system malfunction. Staff are expected to arrive in 5 minutes." When no one arrived, the passenger pressed an SOS button and was again told that help was on the way. The rider was ultimately able to open the door and exit the vehicle on their own.

The Wuhan incident comes amid a series of recent issues involving self-driving vehicles, both in the United States and abroad.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In December, a widespreadpower outage in San Franciscoleft roughly 130,000 homes and businesses without electricity, PEOPLE reported at the time. During the blackout, driverless cars were unable to function properly without traffic signals, stopping in the middle of roads and contributing to traffic jams.

Read the original article onPeople

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 02, 2026

Passengers Left in Middle of Busy Traffic After Over 100 Self-Driving Taxis Stop Running in 'System Malfunction'

Over 100 self-driving taxis in China stopped mid-traffic due to a system malfunction, stranding passengers in busy street...

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Immigrants seeking asylum are ordered to countries they've never been to, but end up stuck in limbo

The Afghan man had fled the Taliban for refuge in upstate New York when U.S. immigration authorities ordered him deported to Uganda. The Cuban woman was working at a Texas Chick-fil-A when she was arrested after a minor traffic accident and told she was being sent to Ecuador.

Immigration Third Country Deportations

There's the Mauritanian man living in Michigan told he'd have to go to Uganda, the Venezuelan mother in Ohio told she'd be sent to Ecuador and the Bolivians, Ecuadorians and so many others across the country ordered sent to Honduras.

They are among more than 13,000 immigrants who were living legally in the U.S., waiting for rulings on asylum claims, when they suddenly faced so-calledthird-countrydeportation orders,destined for countrieswheremost had no ties, according to the nonprofit group Mobile Pathways, which pushes for transparency in immigration proceedings.

Yet few have been deported, even as the White House pushes forever more immigrant expulsions. Thanks to unexplained changes in U.S. policy, many are now mired in immigration limbo, unable to argue theirasylum claimsin court and unsure if they'll be shackled and put on a deportation flight to a country they've never seen.

Some are in detention, though it's unclear how many. All have lost permission to work legally, a right most had while pursuing their asylum claims, compounding the worry and dread that has rippled through immigrant communities.

And that may be the point.

"This administration's goal is to instill fear into people. That's the primary thing," said Cassandra Charles, a senior staff attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, which has been fighting the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda. The fear of being deported to an unknown country could, advocates believe, drive migrants to abandon their immigration cases and decide to return to their home countries.

Things may be changing.

In mid-March, top Immigration and Customs Enforcement legal officials told field attorneys with the Department of Homeland Security in an email to stop filing new motions for third-country deportations tied to asylum cases. The email, which has been seen by The Associated Press, did not give a reason. It has not been publicly released, and DHS did not respond to requests to explain if the halt was permanent.

But the earlier deportation cases? Those are continuing.

An asylum-seeker says she's in panic over possibly being sent to a country she doesn't know

In 2024, a Guatemalan woman who says she had been held captive and repeatedly sexually assaulted by members of powerful gang arrived with her 4-year-old daughter at the U.S.-Mexico border and asked for asylum. She later discovered she was pregnant with another child, conceived during a rape.

In December, she sat in a San Francisco immigration courtroom and listened as an ICE attorney sought to have her deported.

The ICE attorney didn't ask the judge that she be sent back to Guatemala. Instead, the attorney said, the woman from the Indigenous Guatemalan highlands would go to one of three countries: Ecuador, Honduras or across the globe to Uganda.

Until that moment, she'd never heard of Ecuador or Uganda.

"When I arrived in this country, I was filled with hope again and I thanked God for being alive," the woman said after the hearing, her eyes filling with tears. "When I think about having to go to those other countries, I panic because I hear they are violent and dangerous." She spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal from U.S. immigration authorities or the Guatemalan gang network.

There have been more than 13,000 removal orders for asylum-seekers

ICE attorneys, the de facto prosecutors in immigration courts, were first instructed last summer to file motions known as "pretermissions" that end migrants' asylum claims and allow them to be deported.

"They're not saying the person doesn't have a claim," said Sarah Mehta, who tracks immigration issues at the American Civil Liberties Union. "They're just saying, 'We're kicking this case completely out of court and we're going to send that person to another country.'"

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The pace of deportation orders picked up in October after a ruling from the Justice Department's Board of Immigration Appeals, which sets legal precedent inside the byzantine immigration court system.

The ruling from the three judges — two appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and the third a holdover from the first Trump administration — cleared the way for migrants seeking asylum to be removed to any third country where the U.S. State Department determines they won't face persecution or torture.

After the ruling, the government aggressively expanded the practice of ending asylum claims.

More than 13,000 migrants have been ordered deported to so-called "safe third countries" after their asylum cases were canceled, according to data from San Francisco-based Mobile Pathways. More than half the orders were for Honduras, Ecuador or Uganda, with the rest scattered among nearly three dozen other countries.

Deported migrants are free, at least theoretically, to pursue asylum and stay in those third countries, even if some have barely functioning asylum systems.

Deportations have been far more complicated than the government expected

Immigration authorities have released little information about the third-country agreements, known as Asylum Cooperative Agreements, or the deportees, and it's unclear exactly how many have been deported to third countries as part of asylum removals.

According to Third Country Deportation Watch, a tracker run by the rights groups Refugees International and Human Rights First, fewer than 100 of them are thought to have been deported.

In a statement, DHS called the agreements "lawful bilateral arrangements that allow illegal aliens seeking asylum in the United States to pursue protection in a partner country that has agreed to fairly adjudicate their claims."

"DHS is using every lawful tool available to address the backlog and abuse of the asylum system," said the statement, which was attributed only to a spokesperson. There are roughly 2 million backlogged asylum cases in the immigration system.

But deportations clearly turned out to be far more complicated than the government expected, restricted by a variety of legal challenges, the scope of the international agreements and a limited number of airplanes.

Mobile Pathways data, for example, shows that thousands of people have been ordered deported to Honduras — despite a diplomatic agreement that allows the country to take a total of just 10 such deportees per month for 24 months. Dozens of people ordered to Honduras in recent months did not speak Spanish as their primary language, but were native speakers of English, Uzbek and French, among other languages.

And while hundreds of asylum-seeking migrants have been ordered sent to Uganda, a top Ugandan official said none have arrived. U.S. authorities may be "doing a cost analysis" and trying to avoid dispatching flights with only a few people on board, Okello Oryem, the Ugandan minister of state for foreign affairs, told The Associated Press.

"You can't be doing one, two people" at a time," Oryem said. "Planeloads — that is the most effective way."

Many immigration lawyers suspect that the March email ordering a halt in new asylum pretermissions could indicate a shift toward other forms of third-country deportations.

"Right now they haven't been able to remove that many people," said the ACLU's Mehta. "I do think that will change."

"They're in a hiring spree right now. They will have more planes. If they get more agreements, they'll be able to send more people to more countries."

Associated Press reporters Garance Burke in San Francisco, Joshua Goodman in Miami, Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Molly A. Wallace in Chicago contributed to this report.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

April 02, 2026

Immigrants seeking asylum are ordered to countries they've never been to, but end up stuck in limbo

The Afghan man had fled the Taliban for refuge in upstate New York when U.S. immigration authorities ordered him deported...

Read More