Artemis II Astronauts Fly Around Moon—and Farther Than Any Human

Crew begins a seven-hour lunar observation as NASA returns to the moon’s neighborhood for the first time in decades.

Jack Daleo

Monday, April 06, 2026 at 02:21 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The Artemis II astronauts captured this fully illuminated view of the moon’s near side as they approached lunar orbit on Monday. [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

The Artemis II mission's crew of four astronauts (three American, one Canadian) has set a new record for human travel, venturing farther from Earth than any previous mission.
Currently in lunar orbit, the crew is conducting a historic flyby to observe and photograph the moon's surface, including parts of the farside, a feat not accomplished in over half a century.
This 10-day mission serves as a critical test flight for future crewed lunar landings, involving extensive spacecraft system checks, manual piloting demonstrations, and preparations for reentry, ultimately paving the way for a permanent moon base.

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Three Americans and one Canadian on Monday traveled farther from Earth than any human has ever ventured.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen—the crew of the Artemis II mission—have entered lunar orbit and are now the only people to have traveled more than 248,655 miles from Earth, a mark set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.