Artemis II Makes Historic Lunar Flyby—248,655 Miles from Earth

NASA's Artemis II has achieved a remarkable milestone. On Monday, April 7, the four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—surpassed the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth.

Breaking Records

At 12:56 p.m. CDT, Orion passed the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles, and will ultimately reach approximately 252,756 miles before beginning their return journey. This marks the first crewed mission to venture this far since the Apollo program.

As Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen observed from the cabin: "From the cabin of Integrity here, 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."

The Flyby

Six days into their mission, the crew executed their closest approach to the lunar surface at approximately 4,067 miles—close enough to observe features on the far side of the Moon with human eyes for the first time.

The astronauts witnessed something truly extraordinary: a solar eclipse as the Moon passed directly in front of the Sun, a view available only to those venturing beyond our planet.

Data for Future Missions

The crew documented their journey with high-resolution cameras, capturing imagery of lunar features that have never been directly observed by humans. This data will prove invaluable as NASA develops its lunar base and plans subsequent Artemis missions.

The Artemis II spacecraft is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, April 10, at approximately 8:07 p.m. EDT.

What's Next

This mission represents far more than a record-breaking achievement—it's a test flight validating systems for sustained human presence on the Moon. As we move toward establishing a permanent lunar base, missions like Artemis II pave the way for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA News Release