Artemis II Breaks Human Space Travel Distance Record

Never-before-seen view of the Moon’s Orientale Basin just released by the astronauts aboard Artemis II. – NASA

Artemis II astronauts made history today as they passed the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,655 miles from Earth, which was set in 1970. The Orion spacecraft’s four-person crew are traveling farther from Earth than any humans in history and are continuing on to a planned 252,760 miles. With this lunar flyby, the astronauts will be the first to see some parts of the far side of the Moon with the naked eye. The closest approach to the Moon will be 4,070 miles.

The crew is expected to briefly lose signal during their flyby Monday, which comes five days after the Artemis II mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a test flight setting the stage for future moon missions.

As Artemis II broke the distance record set by Apollo 13, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen relayed a message from the crew that paid homage to the past and looked ahead to the future.

“From the cabin of Integrity, as we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” Hansen said. “We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth pulls us back into everything that we hold dear.”

The record was broken at 1:57 p.m. ET, Monday, April 6, 2026.

A fresh view of the moon as seen by the Artemis II astronauts shows features on both the near and far sides of Earth’s companion.

The large circular structure at bottom left is Mare Orientale, a huge impact structure ringed by concentric mountain chains. Orientale straddles the line between the near and far sides of the moon, showing how the Artemis II astronauts are already getting a look at normally unseen features.