About this Episode
Astronauts aboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission Artemis II are heading back to Earth after completing a flyby of the far side of the Moon. The four-person crew travelled about 407,000 kilometres from Earth, surpassing the distance record set during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen spent about six hours observing and photographing the Moon. The mission is designed as a test flight for future crewed lunar landings under the Artemis programme.
In the Middle East, Israel has struck a petrochemical facility at the South Pars gas field in Iran. Iranian media reported that two commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in the attack. Iranian state outlets blamed both Israel and the United States.
Iran has also rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey, calling the plan illogical. United States president Donald Trump warned that power plants and bridges in Iran could be targeted if Tehran refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
Meanwhile, Germany has introduced new rules affecting men aged 17 to 45 who plan extended stays abroad. Under the Military Service Modernisation Act, they must now seek approval from the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, for trips longer than three months.
The German Defence Ministry says approval will normally be granted because military service remains voluntary. Officials say the measure is intended to help authorities keep track of potential recruits living abroad.
