The crew aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission delivered an Easter message to Earth as their spacecraft approached the moon Sunday, drawing comparisons to a similar moment in spaceflight history during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
Astronaut Jeremy Hansen spoke during a live broadcast from inside the Artemis capsule, reflecting on the significance of the holiday and the view of Earth from space.
“No matter your faith or religion, for me, the teachings of Jesus were always a very simple truth of love, universal love. Love yourself, and love others,” Hansen said.
He continued, “Something for us being here looking back at all of you through one tiny window, that just resonates 100 percent true. Our goal as humanity should be to just follow in that example, there were may examples in the past, but that’s one example of love that we can just all follow in the footsteps, and it will serve us well.”
Fellow astronaut Christina Koch also addressed viewers during the broadcast, sending a message to her family in Houston and acknowledging children celebrating Easter on Earth.
“They were the dehydrated scrambled egg variety, but we’re all pretty happy with them,” Koch said, referring to eggs the crew had hidden around the capsule in observance of the holiday.
The Moon-bound crew of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission transmitted an Easter message earlier this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/0KaztHjzdd [2]
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) April 5, 2026 [3]
Astronaut Victor Glover also had a message:
Artemis II Astronaut Victor Glover talked about The Bible & what our Creator God has done for us, in a special Easter message from space
: @CollinRugg [4] pic.twitter.com/UmHLwV6qt2 [5]
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) April 5, 2026 [6]
The timing of the Artemis II broadcast during Easter has drawn comparisons to the Apollo 8 mission, which marked a significant milestone in space exploration.
Apollo 8 was the first crewed mission to orbit the moon and return safely to Earth.
During that mission, astronauts transmitted a Christmas Eve broadcast in 1968 while orbiting the moon.
The crew read passages from the Book of Genesis as viewers on Earth watched images of the lunar surface emerge from the darkness of space.
Like Apollo 8, Artemis II is designed to test spacecraft systems and capabilities by sending astronauts around the moon and back.
The mission represents a key step in NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to expand human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
The Artemis II crew’s Easter message was delivered as the spacecraft continued its trajectory around the moon, marking another milestone for the mission.
The broadcast provided a moment of connection between the astronauts and audiences on Earth, as the crew shared personal reflections and holiday greetings while carrying out the objectives of the mission.