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 set a new record by traveling farther from Earth than any previous human mission, entering lunar orbit to observe and photograph the moon's surface, including its farside.
This 10-day mission is a critical test flight for NASA's Artemis program, validating spacecraft systems and procedures (like manual piloting and heat shield performance) in preparation for future crewed lunar landings and the long-term goal of establishing 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.