The Artemis II crew has crossed the halfway mark on its journey to the moon, with NASA releasing new imagery Saturday morning on X as the four astronauts prepare for a historic flyaround that will take them farther from Earth than any human has traveled in more than half a century.

NASA didn't pack any tree seeds this time, but the Canadian Space Agency did, continuing the tradition. As a member of the Artemis II crew, Canadian astronaut Hansen is the first non-American on a deep space flight. Other seeds, including a packet of zinnias and chili peppers, are also on board.

Orion's interior space is equivalent to that of two minivans, NASA says. That's a lot more breathing room than space capsules of the 1960s and '70s.

Artemis 2 is set to surpass Apollo 13’s distance record, testing Orion’s deep-space capabilities as NASA prepares for future crewed Moon missions.

Three days into their historic journey, the astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft were in "great spirits" and settling into the rhythms of space travel. (AP)

The translunar injection burn not only sets the Artemis II astronauts on the path to the Moon, it also puts the crew in a free return trajectory, which will allow them to use Moon's gravity to return to Earth.