Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 record, now farthest distance in space from Earth in history

The Artemis II crew has now traveled farther from Earth than any other human ever on its way to the moon.

At 1:57 p.m. on Monday, April 6, Artemis II's astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, traveled more than 248,655 miles from Earth, breaking the previous record set by the historic Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

Artemis II live tracker, day 6: Historic lunar flyby; watch live

The Artemis II crew is expected to reach a maximum distance of 252,752 miles from Earth as it conducts a flyby of the moon – the pivotal part of its 10-day lunar mission.

NASA has tasked the Artemis II with observing, photographing, and analyzing some 30 features on the moon's surface.

Artemis II lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 1, 2026.

Video: Here's the moment Artemis II learns it broke Apollo 13's mission

Timeline: Artemis II lunar flyby

Monday, April 6

• 12:41 a.m.: Orion enters lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.
• 1:30 p.m.: The science officer in mission control will brief the crew on their science goals for the upcoming flyby.
• 1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II crew is expected surpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. 
• 2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin.
• 6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the Moon. 
• 6:45 p.m.: During "Earthset," Earth will glide behind the Moon from Orion’s perspective.
• 7:02 p.m.: Orion reaches its closest approach to the Moon at 4,070 miles above the surface.
• 7:07 p.m.: Crew reach their maximum distance from Earth during the mission.
• 7:25 p.m.: "Earthrise" marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon.
• 7:25 p.m.: NASA’s Mission Control Center should re -acquire communication with the astronauts.
• 8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew’s perspective.
• 9:20 p.m.: Lunar observations conclude.

Tuesday, April 7

1:25 p.m.: Orion exits the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.

NASA: 40-minute communication blackout

As Artemis II passes behind the moon, NASA's Mission Control and Artemis II are expected to lose communication for about 40 minutes, as the moon blocks radio signals, NASA said.

Artemis I and the Apollo missions experienced similar communication blackouts. 

Once Orion emerges on the other side of the moon, the Deep Space Network is expected to reconnect with Orion, Artemis II, and Mission Control.