Artemis II Crew Surpasses Apollo 13 Record for Furthest Distance from Earth

The Artemis II crew broke the 56-year-old human distance record from Earth on April 6, 2026, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in April 1970 and venturing farther from the planet than any humans in history. The four astronauts — NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — reached a maximum distance of approximately 252,757 miles (406,778 kilometers) from Earth, exceeding the Apollo 13 record of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers). The milestone came as the crew conducted a six-hour flyby of the Moon's far side aboard their Orion capsule, passing as close as approximately 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) to the lunar surface. The record was broken less than an hour before the formal start of lunar observations, with Mission Control confirming the moment to the crew in real time. „As we exceed the greatest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, we do so honoring the achievements of those who went before us.” — Jeremy Hansen via Politico

The Apollo 13 distance record was set in April 1970 under emergency circumstances, after an oxygen tank explosion aboard the spacecraft forced the crew to abort a planned Moon landing. Commander Jim Lovell, along with Fred Haise and Jack Swigert, used a free-return lunar trajectory to loop around the Moon and return safely to Earth, reaching 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from the planet in the process. No human had traveled farther from Earth in the 56 years that followed. Artemis II is NASA's first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17, which launched in December 1972. The broader Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface and establish a long-term human presence there.

Jim Lovell's recorded voice greets crew from beyond The crew began their record-breaking day with a message from the late Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who died in August 2025 at the age of 97. Lovell had recorded the wake-up call just two months before his death, and his voice played for the astronauts on the sixth day of their flight. „Welcome to my old neighborhood. It is a historic day and I know how busy you'll be, but don't forget to enjoy the view.” — Jim Lovell via Politico The crew carried aboard the Orion capsule a silk patch from the Apollo 8 mission, on which Lovell had also flown as part of humanity's first lunar visit in 1968. Wiseman displayed the patch as the flyby approached. „It's just a real honor to have that on board with us. Let's go have a great day.” — Reid Wiseman via Politico The moment connected the current mission directly to the Apollo era, with the Artemis II crew using the same free-return lunar trajectory that Apollo 13 employed during its emergency return in 1970.

Tears flow as crew proposes names for lunar craters Moments after breaking the Apollo 13 record, the crew asked Mission Control for permission to name two previously unnamed lunar craters they had observed. They proposed calling one crater "Integrity," after their Orion capsule, and another "Carroll," in honor of Commander Wiseman's wife, who died of cancer in 2020. Wiseman wept as Hansen relayed the request to Mission Control, and all four astronauts embraced in tears inside the capsule. „Such a majestic view out here.” — Reid Wiseman via Politico The crew then turned to the scientific work of the flyby, photographing the lunar surface through Orion's windows and providing a running commentary to scientists stationed at the Science Evaluation Room at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Hansen also issued a challenge directed at future generations. „We challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.” — Jeremy Hansen via Politico

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Scientists track thirty lunar targets during six-hour flyby The scientific team defined thirty observation objectives for the flyby, with the crew photographing and describing lunar features in real time as Orion swept around the Moon's far side. The Orientale Basin, a sprawling impact structure with three concentric rings whose outermost edge stretches nearly 600 miles (950 kilometers) across, topped the target list. Other scientific objectives included the Hertzsprung basin, the enigmatic bright swirl formation known as Reiner Gamma, and the Glushko crater, recognized for its long rays of light material extending hundreds of kilometers across the surface. The crew rotated positions at the capsule's windows throughout the flyby, ensuring each astronaut had the opportunity to observe, photograph, and report. Orion lost contact with Mission Control for approximately 40 minutes while behind the Moon, as the lunar mass blocked the line of sight to NASA's Deep Space Network antennas in California, Spain, and Australia. The crew also witnessed a total solar eclipse from their vantage point behind the Moon, lasting approximately 53 minutes — an event invisible from Earth. The mission is scheduled to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10, 2026, completing a ten-day test flight intended to pave the way for a crewed Moon landing on Artemis IV in 2028.