Artemis II Breaks Apollo 13 Distance Record with Historic Lunar Flyby

NASA’s Artemis II mission has set a new milestone, sending humans farther from Earth than ever before. On April 6, the crew of four astronauts passed the previous record of 400,171 kilometres, set by Apollo 13 in 1970, during a six-hour lunar flyby.

The Orion spacecraft carried three Americans and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen, on a path designed to provide spectacular views of the moon’s far side. Hansen called it “blowing my mind” and challenged future generations to continue pushing the limits of space exploration.

During the flyby, the crew requested permission to name two newly observed lunar craters. They proposed Integrity, after their capsule, and Carroll, in honour of commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife. The moment was emotional, with the astronauts sharing tears as they embraced and admired the majestic lunar landscape.

The mission followed a free-return trajectory, using the gravity of Earth and the moon to guide the capsule safely without stopping for a landing. Artemis II will pass as close as 6,550 kilometres to the moon before heading back to Earth, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific.

This mission marks NASA’s first return to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and sets the stage for Artemis III, which will test docking with lunar landers in orbit. Artemis IV, planned for 2028, will aim for a moon landing near the south pole.

The crew spent years preparing, studying lunar geography, observing solar eclipses, and learning how to document surface features for future exploration. They passed landmarks like the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites and the Orientale Basin. Beyond the moon, astronauts could see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and even Earth from their vantage point.

Geologist Kelsey Young, the mission’s lunar mentor, expects thousands of images will be captured. She highlighted the universal connection people feel with the moon and how this mission makes space exploration something everyone on Earth can relate to.

For Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen, this is more than a record-breaking journey. It’s a reminder of humanity’s place in the universe and the shared effort required to explore it together.

New record🥇

The Artemis II astronauts are now farther from Earth than humans have ever been! At 1:57 p.m. EDT, they broke the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Their journey around the far side of the Moon today will take them a maximum distance of 252,752 miles from Earth. pic.twitter.com/P5Swojpn0n

— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) April 6, 2026