On April 6, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II crew made history by surpassing the farthest distance any human has ever traveled from Earth — a record held for over five decades by the crew of Apollo 13.
Six days into their mission, the four astronauts aboard the Orion capsule Integrity reached a distance of 252,756 miles from Earth at approximately 7:02 p.m. ET. This eclipses the previous record of 248,655 miles set by the Apollo 13 crew in April 1970 — by more than 4,100 miles.
The Historic Crew
The Artemis II crew consists of four astronauts:
Reid Wiseman (NASA, Commander)
Victor Glover (NASA, Pilot)
Christina Koch (NASA, Mission Specialist)
Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency, Mission Specialist)
This is the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, marking a defining moment in humanity’s return to deep space.
The Lunar Flyby
At their closest approach, the Artemis II crew flew within approximately 4,067 miles of the moon’s surface. The flyby allowed the astronauts to capture unprecedented views, including a photograph of the lunar south pole and portions of the far side never before seen by human eyes in person.
During the mission, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen delivered a statement from inside the capsule: “As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration.”
A Moment of Emotion: Naming the Craters
In a deeply personal moment after breaking the record, the crew proposed naming two previously unnamed lunar craters. One would carry the name “Integrity” — their capsule’s call sign. The other, named “Carroll”, honors Commander Wiseman’s late wife, who passed away from cancer in 2020. Wiseman was visibly moved as Hansen made the request to Mission Control.
Why This Mission Matters
Artemis II is a critical step in NASA’s broader Artemis program, designed to return humans to the lunar surface and eventually enable a sustained human presence on and around the Moon. Unlike Apollo 13 — which became famous for its emergency and survival story — Artemis II is a planned crewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS), verifying systems before a future moon landing mission.
The mission demonstrates that NASA, after decades of low-Earth orbit operations, is once again capable of sending humans into deep space — and this time, with plans to go further and stay longer.
FAQ
Q: How far did Artemis II travel from Earth?
A: The Artemis II crew reached a maximum distance of approximately 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6, 2026, breaking the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles set in 1970.
Q: Will Artemis II land on the moon?
A: No. Artemis II is a crewed flyby mission — a test flight to verify the Orion capsule and SLS rocket with humans aboard. The actual lunar landing mission is planned for a later Artemis flight.
This article was written by AI based on publicly available information.
