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The four Artemis II crew members, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, have been flying in the Orion spacecraft capsule since its launch from Florida last week.

On Monday, the Artemis II team broke the record set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, and is expected to surpass that record by approximately 6,606 km when it reaches its farthest point from Earth on its 406,778 km journey by the end of April 6th Eastern Time (this morning, April 7th, Vietnam time).

The Orion spacecraft was flying behind the Moon at that moment, so the Sun was completely obscured from their view.

As they approach the record distance, they will fly around the far side of the Moon, observing it from an altitude of approximately 6,400 km above its dark surface. This milestone marks a culminating moment in the nearly 10-day Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight of NASA's Artemis program.

Artemis II Moon — The moment the Orion spacecraft flew past the far side of the Moon. Photo: NASA

Artemis II Moon 2 — The moment the Orion spacecraft spotted Earth rising from the distant Moon. Photo: NASA

This multi-billion dollar series of missions aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028, ahead of China, and then potentially establish a permanent U.S. presence there within the next decade, building a lunar base that would serve as a testing ground for potential future missions to Mars.

Moon2 — In this fully illuminated image of the Moon, the near side (as we see it from Earth) was observed by the NASA Artemis II crew from inside the Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026. Photo: NASA

Officially beginning at 2:34 p.m. ET on April 6th, the flyby of the Moon will plunge the crew into darkness and cause a brief loss of communication as the Moon blocks their view from NASA's Deep Space Network, a global network of massive radio communication antennas that the agency uses to communicate with the crew.

The flyby will last approximately six hours, during which time the astronauts will use professional cameras to take detailed photographs of the Moon through the windows of the Orion spacecraft, providing a rare and scientifically valuable view of sunlight shining through its edges.

The crew will also have the opportunity to photograph a rare moment when Earth, which appears tiny due to its record-breaking distance in space, will set and rise alongside the Moon's horizon as they orbit it.

Live video of the Artemis II mission.

Artemis II astronauts break record for furthest flight into space.

Four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission have set a record for the furthest flight from Earth, as they prepare to observe the far side of the Moon never before seen with the naked eye.