The Artemis II astronauts made history on Monday (April 6) as they became the first humans to travel farther from Earth than anyone before, breaking a record that had stood since the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. At 1:57 p.m. Eastern Time, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen surpassed the previous distance of 248,655 miles from Earth, set by Apollo 13.

The Artemis II crew reached this milestone as their Orion spacecraft looped around the far side of the moon, setting a new record at approximately 252,757 miles from Earth. Celebrating the moment, mission control’s capsule communicator Jenni Gibbons told the crew, "Today, for all humanity, you’re pushing that frontier." In response, Wiseman said, "As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from Planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space ... but we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation, and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived" as reported by BBC News.

The mission’s path takes the astronauts around the moon’s far side, a region never before seen with human eyes from such a vantage point. While the Artemis II crew will not land on the lunar surface, they are conducting scientific observations, photographing craters, and analyzing lunar geology to help prepare for future missions that could land humans on the moon as early as 2028. The crew is expected to spend about seven hours making observations and capturing images of the lunar surface, including features like the Aristarchus Plateau and Oceanus Procellarum.

In a touching moment during their historic flight, the Artemis II crew proposed naming two lunar craters: one after Integrity, the name of their Orion capsule, and another after Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll. Hansen’s emotional dedication was met with hugs from the crew and confirmation from mission control that the names would be recognized.

Throughout their journey, the astronauts have shared stunning images of both Earth and the moon, using advanced cameras aboard Orion. The mission also honors the legacy of Apollo missions, with the crew carrying a silk patch from Apollo 8 and waking up to a recorded message from Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, who passed away last year.

The Artemis II mission marks the first time in over fifty years that humans have left Earth orbit. NASA plans for Artemis IV and V, aiming for crewed lunar landings by 2028. As the Artemis II spacecraft continues its journey, it paves the way for deeper exploration of the moon and, eventually, Mars.

Armstrong & Getty