Artemis II Crew Sets New Record 248,655 Miles From Earth

Four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission made history Monday, traveling 248,655 miles from Earth and breaking a record that stood for 56 years.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen surpassed the Apollo 13 crew's 1970 distance record on April 6, six days into their journey around the Moon. By the time their spacecraft loops back toward Earth, they will have traveled about 252,756 miles from home.

The crew launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1 aboard the Orion spacecraft. After breaking free from Earth's orbit, they set course for the Moon, capturing stunning photos along the way.

From inside Orion, Hansen shared an emotional message with Earth. "We do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration," he said, before challenging future generations to push even farther into space.

The crew also made history in smaller, more personal ways. They proposed naming two lunar craters: one for their spacecraft, Integrity, and another honoring Wiseman's late wife, Carroll. The names will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union after the mission concludes.

The astronauts will fly within about 4,067 miles of the Moon's surface at their closest approach. They'll become the first humans to see parts of the lunar far side with their own eyes and will witness a solar eclipse as the Moon passes in front of the Sun.

During a 40-minute communication blackout when the Moon blocks signals to Earth, the crew will use handheld cameras to capture high-resolution photos of lunar features never directly observed by humans. These four pairs of eyes serve as powerful scientific instruments, gathering data that will help NASA plan its future Moon Base.

Why This Inspires

This mission represents more than breaking records. It's the first step in NASA's Artemis program to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars.

"At NASA, we dare to reach higher, explore farther, and achieve the impossible," said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator at NASA. "Their mission is carrying our promise to return to the Moon's surface, this time to stay."

The Artemis II crew is more than halfway through their historic journey. They're scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, April 10, where recovery teams will retrieve them by helicopter and transport them to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations.

Hansen's message from space captures what makes this moment special: a challenge to ensure this record doesn't stand for long, because humanity is just getting started.