Artemis II Astronauts Over Halfway to Moon, Set to Break Apollo 13 Distance Record

The Artemis II astronauts are now more than halfway to the moon , on a mission that aims to break the distance record set by Apollo 13 . The crew, three Americans and one Canadian, is preparing for a historic lunar fly-around , capturing images of the mysterious far side of the moon as they head deeper into space than any humans have travelled in more than five decades.

This mission marks the first moonbound crew since Apollo 17 in 1972 , and sets several historic milestones. Christina Koch is the first woman, and Victor Glover the first Black astronaut to reach the moon, while Jeremy Hansen becomes the first non-US citizen to fly on a lunar mission. The Canadian Space Agency celebrated Hansen’s journey, with President Lisa Campbell calling it a bold step “into the unknown” that reflects Canada’s spirit of exploration. Hansen, speaking via a live televised linkup from orbit, described the views from NASA’s Orion capsule as “extraordinary.”

The mission is expected to reach its lunar rendezvous on Monday , after which the crew will swing around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth. The nearly 10-day journey will end with a splashdown in the Pacific on April 10 , without entering lunar orbit or landing. During the mission, the crew will travel more than 252,000 miles (400,000 km) from Earth, surpassing the current human distance record.

Artemis II represents the first step in NASA’s ambitious plan for a sustainable moon base , with a goal of landing astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028 . The mission will test spacecraft systems, gather scientific data, and inspire the next generation of explorers. For now, the astronauts’ journey stands as a historic milestone in human space exploration, blending international collaboration, diversity, and bold ambition as NASA pushes further into the final frontier.