Artemis II Shatters Apollo 13 Record: Humans Reach Farthest Distance from Earth
On April 6, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II mission etched its name into the history books. The four-person crew officially surpassed the farthest distance from Earth ever traveled by humans, breaking a record that had stood for over 56 years.
This milestone marks a pivotal moment for the Artemis program, representing the first crewed mission of its kind and the first human spaceflight to venture beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. After a successful loop around the moon, the crew is now making its journey back toward Earth.
Breaking the Apollo 13 Distance Record
The record-breaking moment occurred at 1:57 P.M. EDT on Monday, April 6, 2026. As the Orion capsule looped around the far side of the moon, the crew exceeded 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth. This distance was the previous benchmark set in 1970 by the crew of Apollo 13—James Lovell, John Swigert, and Fred Haise.
The mission didn’t stop there. NASA officials reported that the crew reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from their home planet, beating the Apollo 13 record by 4,111 miles.
The Artemis II Crew: Pushing the Frontier
The historic journey is being carried out by a diverse international crew consisting of three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut:
- Reid Wiseman (NASA) – Mission Commander
- Victor Glover (NASA)
- Christina Koch (NASA)
- Jeremy Hansen (CSA)
During the mission, the crew experienced the profound isolation of deep space. As the Orion capsule whipped around the back side of the moon, the moon itself blocked the connection to the Deep Space Network, resulting in a communication blackout with Mission Control that lasted approximately 40 minutes.
Mission Highlights and Lunar Flyby
Launched on April 1, 2026, the Artemis II mission was designed to test the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft and prepare for future lunar landings. Key technical achievements of the flyby include:
Closest Lunar Approach
During the blackout period, the capsule reached its closest approach to the moon, passing approximately 4,067 miles above the lunar surface.
A Legacy Continued
The mission served as a bridge between the Apollo era and the future of space exploration. Before his passing in August 2025, Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell recorded a congratulatory message for the crew. Mission Control beamed the message to the astronauts on April 6, with Lovell welcoming them to his “old neighborhood” and noting that they were laying the groundwork for future missions to Mars.
Key Mission Statistics
| Metric | Artemis II Detail | Previous Record (Apollo 13) |
|---|---|---|
| Max Distance from Earth | 252,756 miles | 248,655 miles |
| Launch Date | April 1, 2026 | April 15, 1970 (Record date) |
| Closest Lunar Approach | ~4,067 miles | N/A |
Looking Ahead
The success of the Artemis II lunar flyby confirms the viability of the Orion capsule for deep-space transit. By pushing the frontier of human travel and surpassing the distance records of the 20th century, NASA and its international partners have cleared a critical path for the eventual return of humans to the lunar surface and the exploration of Mars.