PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission reached a historic milestone Monday, April 6, 2026, traveling farther from Earth than any humans before while also sharing a deeply personal tribute tied to mission commander Reid Wiseman.
The crew set the new distance record at approximately 1:56 p.m. EDT (1756 UTC), surpassing the mark previously held by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.
During the mission’s lunar flyby, the crew passed approximately 4,067 miles above the moon’s surface and reached a maximum distance of about 252,756 miles from Earth before beginning their return trip…