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 crew has set a new record for human space travel, venturing farther from Earth than any previous mission, surpassing the distance achieved by Apollo 13.
The astronauts are conducting extensive observation and photography of the lunar surface, including the farside, to gather scientific data and gain new perspectives.
This mission serves as a critical test flight for NASA's Artemis program, validating spacecraft systems, operational procedures, and crew readiness for future crewed lunar landings.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.