NASA’s Artemis II Crew Reaches Moon, Set to Break Record for Farthest Distance from Earth
By Aurax Desk | April 06, 2026 | 2 min read
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have reached the Moon and are on track to travel farther from Earth than any humans in history, marking a major milestone in deep space exploration.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft carries the Artemis II crew as they approach the Moon during a historic flyby mission.
The crew of Artemis II has reached the Moon, entering a historic phase of the mission that will see astronauts travel farther from Earth than any humans before.
Flying aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the four-person crew is expected to reach a distance of about 252,757 miles (406,773 km) from Earth—surpassing the record set during Apollo 13. The milestone will occur as the spacecraft loops around the Moon’s far side before beginning its journey home.
A view of Earth from deep space, similar to what Artemis II astronauts are capturing during their journey.
The mission marks the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, signaling a major step forward in NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the Moon and eventually send crews to Mars. Unlike earlier missions, Artemis II is a flyby rather than a landing, designed to test systems and gather critical data for future exploration.
As the spacecraft passes behind the Moon, the crew will experience a temporary communications blackout lasting around 40 minutes, a tense but expected phase of the mission. During this time, astronauts will document the lunar surface and capture rare images, including views of the Moon’s far side and Earth appearing as a distant “blue marble.”
The four-member Artemis II crew is set to travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.
The mission also carries symbolic importance, featuring a diverse international crew that includes NASA astronauts and a Canadian Space Agency representative. Their journey is seen as a stepping stone toward future missions that aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon later this decade.
Artemis II is expected to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean after completing its loop around the Moon, capping a mission that is already being hailed as a defining moment in modern space exploration.
Sources: NASA, Space.com, Reuters