NASA’s Artemis II Crew Sets Human Spaceflight Distance Record

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2026 – NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, reaching 248,655 miles aboard the Orion spacecraft and surpassing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970. Orion is expected to peak at 252,756 miles before beginning its return journey.

The crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—launched April 1 on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Six days into their mission, they continue photographing the Moon and preparing for a close lunar flyby.

“This achievement embodies our commitment to explore farther and achieve the impossible,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development. “Artemis II is paving the way for a permanent lunar base and future missions to Mars.”

Highlights of the mission include:

• A closest approach of 4,067 miles from the Moon’s surface.

• First human views of parts of the far side of the Moon.

• A solar eclipse observed from deep space.

• A planned 40‑minute communications blackout as Orion passes behind the Moon.

The astronauts have proposed naming two lunar craters: Integrity, after their spacecraft, and Carroll, in memory of Wiseman’s late wife. High‑resolution imagery and mission data collected will inform future Artemis flights.

Artemis II is scheduled to splash down off San Diego on April 10 at 8:07 p.m. EDT, with recovery operations led by the USS John P. Murtha. Post‑flight medical evaluations will follow before the crew returns to NASA Johnson.

Artemis II marks a critical milestone in NASA’s vision to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon and prepare for the first crewed missions to Mars.