Artemis II Crew Returning From Moon: Apollo 13 Distance Record Broken

NASA's Artemis II crew began their journey back to Earth on April 7 after a historic flyby around the far side of the Moon. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen broke the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,655 miles set in 1970. It is humanity's closest approach to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

A Historic Flight

The crew launched on April 1 aboard the Orion spacecraft "Integrity" atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. On April 6, they completed a seven-hour pass over the lunar far side, capturing photographs that mark humanity's first close encounter with the Moon in over half a century. The mission is a ten-day lunar flyby and the first crewed test of the Orion spacecraft.

Solar Eclipse From Space

During the flight, the crew witnessed a rare event — a solar eclipse from space. The Moon completely blocked the Sun, creating approximately 54 minutes of totality, far longer than what is possible from Earth. The astronauts shared photographs and video of the event with the public in a live broadcast from deep space.

Record Distance

NASA confirmed that Artemis II broke the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by a human spaceflight — exceeding 248,655 miles. The previous record was set by Apollo 13 in 1970, though that record was established accidentally during an emergency. Artemis II reached this distance as part of a planned trajectory, making it the first deliberate record of its kind.

Return to Earth

The crew is preparing for a Pacific Ocean splashdown, expected around April 11. The mission is the first crewed test of both the SLS and Orion in flight conditions, and it lays the foundation for the Artemis III mission scheduled for 2027, which is planned to land humans on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.