NASA’s Artemis II mission has set a new record in human spaceflight. On April 6, 2026, the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft travelled 252,756 miles from Earth — 4,101 miles farther than the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
The crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, broke the 56-year-old record at around 1:57 PM ET during their lunar flyby. At its farthest point, the Orion capsule reached this historic distance before beginning its return journey to Earth.
During the six-hour flyby of the Moon’s far side, the astronauts observed the cratered surface, captured stunning images of Earthrise, and even witnessed rare meteor impact flashes. They flew as close as about 4,067 miles above the lunar surface and named some previously unidentified craters.
This mission marks the first time humans have travelled to the Moon’s vicinity since the Apollo era ended in 1972. Artemis II is an important test flight to prove the Orion spacecraft’s systems before future crewed landings under NASA’s Artemis program.
The achievement highlights NASA’s renewed push to return humans to the Moon and prepare for eventual missions to Mars. The crew is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean later this week, completing a successful 10-day journey.
