His visit on Thursday follows a long-standing tradition — astronauts and cosmonauts have been coming to the United Nations for decades to talk about peace, international cooperation and our shared global future.
The four-person crew carried out the most distant human spaceflight in history, traveling beyond the far side of the Moon and returning safely to Earth after 10 intense, difficult and inspiring days.
In that short time, as noted during the program, they “captured the imagination of billions of people” and rekindled a sense of shared human participation in space exploration.
Tradition and continuity
The General Assembly Building has long welcomed space age pioneers, starting with Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova – the first man and woman in space.
His October 1963 voyage symbolized not only technological progress but also the idea that the universe was a realm where humanity could unite.
Since then, representatives of many countries have repeatedly addressed the international community, and stressed that space exploration is impossible without cooperation and shared responsibility.
The first man and woman in space, Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin (right) and Valentina Tereshkova (left), were guests of UN Secretary-General U Thant (centre) at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Artemis II continues that legacy. This mission represents not only a technological breakthrough, but also a model of international partnership, involving many countries and institutions, including the European Space Agency, with scientific instruments and systems developed by experts from around the world.
“I had the opportunity to talk to everyone on the way here — I mean these three very ordinary but very accomplished Americans and one Canadian,” said U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, who hosted the evening’s discussion with the astronauts before an invited audience of excited Earthlings.
The crew emphasized that their job was not only to test a spacecraft, but also to remind people on the ground that humanity can achieve great things when it works together.
earth from deep space
For all astronauts, the most powerful experience was seeing Earth from deep space.
From hundreds of thousands of miles away, the planet appeared small, fragile, almost weightless against the vast darkness – an image that underlined both the uniqueness of Earth and the rarity of life.
Pilot Victor Glover said, “I always felt that we should be grateful for what we were seeing and ultimately grateful for where we were going back.”
Astronaut Christina Koch described a sudden awareness of the scale of humanity within an infinite universe.
“You realize that there’s really nothing absolute or guaranteed about it, and there really is such a thing as a global scale… This scale is our world and what we do with it is our choice.”
Artemis II astronauts give a thumbs up during a trip to the Moon.
life on board
Life inside a spacecraft was extremely demanding. The crew had to balance experiments, navigation, systems monitoring, and constant adaptation to microgravity.
“One day, I was opening some granola with berries. Victor was floating next to me, and when I tore the package, it went really fast and stuff flew into the spaceship, and it kind of hit his shirt.
“And he said, ‘Oh, don’t worry, I got it’. And he takes a spoon and he starts eating it out of his shirt,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen recalled.
Earth looms behind the Moon as photographed from the Artemis II mission.
return to the moon
Artemis II is just the beginning of a broader effort. The goal of the program is to return humans to the Moon, establish a sustained presence on its surface, and build infrastructure, including a lunar base, to support long-term exploration. These plans are based on the Artemis Accords, a set of international principles already supported by dozens of countries.
Speaking from the UN podium, the astronauts also addressed young people, encouraging them not to be afraid to ask questions and to listen carefully to the answers.
In closing, the crew emphasized that Artemis II was not only measured in distance or technical achievement.
Space provides a perspective that allows us to see Earth as it really is: unique, shared, in need of care – and capable of bringing people together.
Reed Wiseman concluded, “Everyone asks what the Earth looks like from space, and most of the time I answer, little Earth is an incredible place.”
reaching for the stars
Meanwhile, a NASA aerospace engineer who grew up in Tanzania dreaming of becoming an astronaut thought it was practically impossible.
Today, Alinda Mashiku is a program manager at the U.S. space agency, where she helps ensure that satellites avoid collisions in orbit, contributing to the safety and stability of leading space missions like Artemis II.
In this interview recorded a few days ago, Ms Mashiku tells us how she encourages girls to reach for the stars:
