It's Official: Artemis II Has Carried Humans Farther From Earth Than Ever Before

Artemis II carried humans farther from Earth than any previous mission.

Orion spacecraft Integrity with four astronauts surpassed Apollo 13's 400,171 km milestone at 17:56 UTC on 6 April 2026.

The mission reached a maximum distance of 406,771 km at 23:02 UTC as it passed beyond the far side of the Moon.

Contact with Earth was blocked for about 40 minutes while the Moon blocked the signal; communications have since resumed.

All systems are nominal; Artemis II is the Artemis program's first crewed flight and a critical test of its systems.