Artemis II astronauts break 56-year record as they travel farthest distance ever from Earth
(A view of the Moon and the Earth as the Artemis II mission’s
Orion spacecraft approaches its furthest distance from Earth on April 6, 2026.)
Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission have made history, venturing farther from Earth than any humans before them – and surpassing a record that stood since the Apollo era.
At 12:56 p.m. CDT on April 6, 2026 – six days into their journey – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, reached a distance of 248,655 miles from Earth. The milestone eclipsed the previous record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. The crew is expected to travel even farther, reaching approximately 252,756 miles before beginning their return trip home.
Launched April 1 aboard NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center, the Orion spacecraft has steadily pushed deeper into space, marking a major step forward in NASA’s Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon—and eventually sending them to Mars.
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As they continue their mission, the astronauts have been capturing stunning images of the Moon while preparing for a close lunar flyby that will bring them within roughly 4,067 miles of the surface. During this pass, the crew will witness a solar eclipse and observe regions of the Moon’s far side rarely seen by human eyes.
NASA has released images of the never before seen far side of the moon.
Humans have now traveled the furthest they ever have away from Earth.
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“This mission is about more than breaking records,” NASA officials said, emphasizing Artemis II as a critical test flight that will shape future lunar exploration and long-term plans for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
From aboard the Orion spacecraft – named Integrity – astronaut Jeremy Hansen reflected on the milestone, honoring past explorers while issuing a challenge for future generations to go even farther.
“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. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”
The mission will also include a brief communications blackout as Orion passes behind the Moon, temporarily cutting off contact with Earth. NASA expects communication to resume shortly after the spacecraft reemerges.
In addition to setting distance records, the crew has proposed naming two lunar craters—one after their spacecraft and another in tribute to Wiseman’s late wife—pending approval by international authorities.
Artemis II is now more than halfway complete, with splashdown scheduled for April 10 off the coast of San Diego. Data collected during the mission—from imagery to onboard telemetry—will help guide upcoming Artemis missions as NASA lays the groundwork for a future Moon base and human missions to Mars.
For more on this record-breaking and historic story from space, see the video accompanying this article.
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(Source: NASA)
(Cover photo: NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin looking back at Earth. Image credit: NASA)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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