NASA’s Artemis II mission set a new human spaceflight distance record on April 6, 2026, as its four-person crew passed 248,655 miles from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970. The Orion spacecraft continued to 252,760 miles away during a lunar flyby, marking the first time astronauts have directly observed portions of the Moon’s far side with unaided vision.
Lunar flyby and record-breaking distance
The Artemis II astronauts—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—entered the lunar sphere of influence early Monday morning, when the Moon’s gravitational force exceeded Earth’s pull. Their closest approach to the lunar surface occurred around 7 p.m. ET at approximately 4,070 miles.
From this vantage, the Moon appeared roughly the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. NASA noted the flyby would allow the crew to witness phenomena such as “Earthrise” and recreate the iconic Apollo 8 photograph. The mission also included observation of an hour-long solar eclipse visible from their trajectory. The flyby concluded at about 9:20 p.m. ET as the spacecraft began its return journey to Earth.
Far side lunar observations and crew activities
Earlier in the mission, NASA released images taken by Artemis II showing features on the Moon’s far side, including the Orientale basin—a vast crater not visible from Earth’s surface. This represented the first time such lunar features have been seen by humans directly, providing valuable observational data for scientists.
During their mission, the crew engaged in routine activities and shared moments such as an in-cabin Easter egg hunt featuring dehydrated scrambled eggs. Prior to the flyby, the astronauts shifted their navigation focus from increasing distance from Earth to closing distance to the Moon, gathering detailed surface data along their flight path.
Why it matters
Artemis II’s successful lunar flyby marks a critical milestone in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually enable long-duration lunar missions. Surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record demonstrates advancements in spacecraft capability and deep space human spaceflight readiness. The mission’s observations of the lunar far side contribute to scientific understanding and planning for future exploration.
Background
The Apollo 13 mission set the previous human distance record in 1970 during an aborted Moon landing when the crew looped around the Moon. Artemis II, launched from Kennedy Space Center five days prior, is a test flight designed to validate Orion spacecraft systems and astronaut operations in lunar orbit ahead of Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface.
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