How far did Artemis II travel from Earth?

Artemis II reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth on Flight Day 6 (April 6 2026), making its four-person crew the farthest humans have ever traveled from our home planet. The previous record was held by Apollo 13 at 248,655 miles, set in April 1970 — a 56-year-old mark finally broken.

Who are the Artemis II astronauts?

The four-person crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), Pilot Victor Glover (NASA), Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, who becomes the first Canadian astronaut to travel near the moon.

Did Artemis II land on the moon?

No. Artemis II is a crewed test flight of the Orion capsule and Space Launch System rocket. The mission performed a lunar flyby within approximately 4,067 miles of the surface but did not enter lunar orbit or land. The first crewed landing is planned for Artemis III.

What is the solar eclipse the Artemis II crew witnessed?

During the lunar flyby the Moon passed between the Orion spacecraft and the Sun, creating a natural solar eclipse visible from inside the capsule. Totality lasted roughly 54 minutes — far longer than any eclipse visible from Earth — giving the crew an unprecedented view of the solar corona.

When will Artemis II splash down?

The crew began their return journey on Flight Day 7 (April 7 2026). Splashdown is scheduled for approximately April 11, completing the 10-day mission. Orion will reenter Earth's atmosphere at nearly 25,000 miles per hour and land in the Pacific Ocean.

How far did Artemis II travel from Earth?

Artemis II reached 252,756 miles from Earth on April 6, 2026, the farthest any crewed spacecraft has ever flown — eclipsing Apollo 13's 248,655 mile record set in April 1970.

Who is on board the Artemis II crew?

Reid Wiseman (Commander, NASA), Victor Glover (Pilot, NASA), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist, NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Mission Specialist, Canadian Space Agency) — the first Canadian to fly near the Moon.

Did Artemis II land on the Moon?

No. Artemis II is a crewed test flight of Orion and the SLS rocket. It performed a free-return flyby, passing within roughly 4,067 miles of the lunar surface. The first crewed landing is planned for Artemis III.

What was the solar eclipse moment?

During the lunar flyby on Flight Day 6, the Moon briefly blocked the Sun from Orion's vantage point — giving the crew about 54 minutes of totality, an event no humans had ever witnessed from cislunar space.

When does Artemis II splash down?

Splashdown is planned for around April 11, 2026 in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California, closing a roughly 10-day test flight.

Space Missions 2026: Moon, Mars & Beyond | ZestLab

Hub: Space Missions 2026

Artemis II Moon Flyby 2026: 252,756 Miles — Farthest Humans Have Ever Flown

On April 6, 2026, the Artemis II crew shattered Apollo 13's 56-year-old record. Four astronauts became the first humans to see the Moon's far side with their own eyes and to witness a solar eclipse from cislunar space.

Published: April 8, 2026 · ZestLab Science

Record distance from Earth

252,756

miles (~406,769 km)

Beyond Apollo 13

+4,101 mi

+1.65% · record since 1970

Orion spacecraft with crescent moon — Artemis II moon flyby 2026

Photo: Space.com / NASA — Orion passing the crescent moon

Key Takeaways

Artemis II hit 252,756 miles — the farthest humans have ever flown, beating Apollo 13 after 56 years.
Four astronauts: Wiseman, Glover, Koch (NASA) and Hansen (CSA — first Canadian to fly near the Moon).
Crew passed within ~4,067 miles of the lunar surface — first humans to see the far side directly.
Witnessed roughly 54 minutes of solar eclipse totality as the Moon blocked the Sun from Orion's view.
This is a test flight of Orion + SLS — no landing; Artemis III will be the first crewed surface mission.
Splashdown planned around April 11, 2026 in the Pacific off Baja California.

Eclipsing the Apollo 13 record

For more than half a century, the farthest humans had ever traveled from Earth was 248,655 miles — set by Apollo 13 in April 1970 under emergency conditions. After a service module explosion, NASA had to whip the crew around the Moon on a free-return trajectory, accidentally pushing them farther than anyone before. For 56 years, no human matched it.

On April 6, 2026, Artemis II changed that. Orion's trajectory was engineered to deliver both a safe flyby and a new apogee: 252,756 miles. The distance was not an accident — it was a record by design.

Apollo 13

248,655 mi

April 1970 · emergency free-return

Artemis II

252,756 mi

April 6, 2026 · planned flyby

→ ZestLab analysis: the 4,101 mile gap is just 1.65% farther — small in percentage, but enough to turn a routine flyby into a historic milestone.

Four humans, first crew back to the Moon

The first crew to leave low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Reid Wiseman

Commander (NASA)

Former Navy aviator, prior commander of ISS Expedition 41.

Victor Glover

Pilot (NASA)

First Black astronaut to fly past the Moon — a NASA milestone.

Christina Koch

Mission Specialist (NASA)

Holds the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days).

Jeremy Hansen

Mission Specialist (CSA)

First Canadian ever to leave low Earth orbit and approach the Moon.

Near side of the Moon fully lit from Orion

Photo: NASA / Space.com — The Moon's near side viewed from Orion

10 days to the Moon and back

Day 1 — Apr 2

Launch from Kennedy LC-39B

SLS Block 1 punches Orion out of Earth orbit. ICPS upper-stage separation goes clean, putting the crew on a translunar trajectory.

→ First time since 1972 humans leave low Earth orbit.

Day 3-5 — Apr 4-5

Coasting toward the Moon

Crew runs life-support, navigation and deep-space comms checks. A historic ship-to-ship call with the ISS crew is conducted.

→ Orion pulls away from Earth at roughly 1,500 km per hour.

Day 6 — Apr 6

Record 252,756 miles

Orion hits a fresh apogee — farther from Earth than any crewed vehicle in history. The crew passes within ~4,067 miles of the lunar surface and becomes the first humans to see the far side with their own eyes.

→ Beats the 56-year-old Apollo 13 record by 4,101 miles.

Day 7 — Apr 7

Heading home

After the lunar slingshot, gravity pulls Orion back toward Earth. The crew confirms a successful return burn.

→ Closing speed with Earth begins to climb — building toward 24,500 mph at re-entry.

Day 10 — ~Apr 11

Pacific splashdown (planned)

Orion is expected to re-enter and splash down off Baja California, closing out the test flight that clears the path for Artemis III.

→ Re-entry heat data will set the timeline for the Artemis III landing in 2027.

A first in human history

54 minutes of eclipse in cislunar space

As Orion swept behind the Moon, the geometry produced something no human had ever seen: the Moon completely blocked the Sun from the spacecraft's perspective for about 54 minutes. No prior crew had ever been in the right place to watch it happen.

According to NASA, this was also the first time humans directly viewed the Moon's far side — the hemisphere permanently turned away from Earth. Every prior Apollo mission only photographed it through capsule windows and onboard cameras.

Why this flight matters

Artemis II is not just a record — it is the final exam for the entire Artemis architecture. If Orion's heat shield, long-duration life support and deep-space navigation perform as modeled, NASA gains the real-world dataset it needs to attempt a crewed landing with Artemis III.

Every second of telemetry coming back from Orion matters: cabin temperatures, radiation exposure, ECLSS behavior, navigation accuracy, comms stability over the Deep Space Network. None of those can be fully validated by ground simulation.

Per NASA, Artemis III is expected to land two astronauts at the lunar south pole — near water-ice deposits that could supply a future base. Data from Artemis II will determine whether that 2027 schedule holds or slips.

Reid Wiseman gazing at the Moon from Orion

Photo: Space.com / NASA — Commander Reid Wiseman gazing at the Moon

What's next

~Apr 11: Splashdown

Orion is expected to re-enter and splash down in the Pacific off Baja California.

Post-flight

NASA reviews re-entry heat data, capsule wear and crew health — initial reports within weeks.

Artemis III

Crewed lunar south pole landing — currently targeted for 2027, contingent on Artemis II data.

Vietnam angle

The 252,756-mile distance equals about 406,769 km — roughly 254 times the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City span (1,600 km). At that distance, a radio signal takes about 1.36 seconds each way to reach Earth. For Vietnamese viewers, the record-breaking moment fell during the early morning and midday of April 6, 2026 local time, with NASA TV providing a live feed.