Artemis II breaks Apollo 13's record, reach farthest human distance from Earth

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts set a record on Monday as the farthest humans from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s 248,655-mile mark during a six-hour flyby of the moon. The milestone gives the crew—and the world—a first look at the moon’s far side from a human perspective.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen are on NASA’s first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era. Their Orion capsule is following a free-return trajectory, the same maneuver Apollo 13 used after its oxygen tank exploded, looping around the moon before heading back to Earth.

The route uses the combined gravity of the Earth and moon to conserve fuel and ensure a safe return without a landing.



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Less than an hour before beginning the flyby, the crew surpassed Apollo 13’s distance record. By the end of the journey, NASA expects Artemis II to extend the record by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers). The capsule will pass as close as 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) from the lunar surface, reaching speeds of 3,139 mph (5,052 kph) at closest approach.


Before the flyby, the astronauts were greeted by a recording from Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who passed away last August: “Welcome to my old neighborhood,” he said. Wiseman and the crew also carried the Apollo 8 silk patch that had traveled to the moon with Lovell, a nod to humanity’s first lunar orbit in 1968. “It’s a real honor to have that on board with us,” Wiseman said.

Artemis II is a rehearsal for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole in 2025. During the flyby, the crew is observing the Orientale Basin, Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites, and distant planets including Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn.

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“Flying to the moon during Holy Week really brings home the beauty of creation,” Glover said. “Earth is an oasis in a whole bunch of nothing. This is a chance to remember where we are, who we are, and that we’ve got to get through this together.”

The six-hour flyby sets the stage for future Artemis missions, including Orion’s practice with lunar landers in orbit and, ultimately, a moon landing near the south pole.

(With inputs from agencies)