This Monday, April 6, is no ordinary day in the history books. While geopolitical tensions on Earth have everyone’s hearts on edge, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, humanity has just reached a peak that seemed unattainable for more than half a century. The Orion capsule, the heart of NASA’s Artemis II mission, has officially become the farthest manned mission from our planet, surpassing a record that remained unbroken for 56 years.
At exactly 12:57 p.m. EDT, the navigation instruments confirmed what everyone in the Houston control center was eagerly awaiting: the spacecraft passed 400,171 kilometers from the Earth’s surface. With this data, the record set by the legendary and accident-ridden Apollo 13 mission in 1970 – the one that popularized the phrase “Houston, we have a problem” – is officially in the past.
Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 record
LIVE: Watch with us as the Artemis II astronauts make their closest approach to the Moon, traveling farther from Earth than ever before. https://t.co/Zpy7GdTqA8
– NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
The moment did not go unnoticed by the crew.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), took the microphone to say a few words that made the skin crawl of those following the live broadcast.
From the christened “Integrity Cabin,” Hansen paid tribute to the pioneers of space.
“In overcoming the greatest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so by honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors,” he declared in a firm voice.
However, the message was not just one of nostalgia, but a direct challenge to the new generations: “We chose this moment to challenge this generation, and the next, to ensure that this record does not stand for long”.
It is a call for space to stop being a distant destination and become our next home.
The route to the unknown: The hidden face of the Moon
Approaching the near side of the Moon.
The Artemis II astronauts have surpassed the record for the distance from Earth at 1:56 ET (1756 UTC). This record was previously set during the Apollo 13 mission when the astronauts traveled 248,655 miles from Earth. The Moon continues to… pic.twitter.com/OapAGgGMex
– NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 6, 2026
The Artemis II mission, which lifted off last Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, has an extremely tight technical schedule.
After breaking the distance record, the Orion capsule is headed for a close encounter with our natural satellite.
The spacecraft is expected to reach its maximum point of departure at about 406,777 kilometers from Earth, establishing a new frontier for the human eye.
One of the most critical and fascinating moments of this trip is the flyby of the far side of the Moon.
Due to the synchronous rotation of the satellite, this side always remains hidden to us from Earth.
The last time a human being contemplated this region in person was in 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission.
To achieve this, the crew, consisting of Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Hansen himself, will have to face absolute “radio silence”.
For approximately 40 minutes, the mass of the Moon will stand between the capsule and Earth’s antennas, leaving the astronauts all alone in the darkness of deep space. During this time, the 32 high-definition cameras aboard Orion will capture unprecedented geological images that will be used to plan future lunar bases.
The return: A fiery challenge
Tired: Monday
Wired: MoondayToday our Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon! Tune in, starting at 1pm ET (1700 UTC) as they view parts of the Moon never seen by human eyes.
Watch it live with us: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc pic.twitter.com/OMG3uNrHAk
– NASA (@NASA) April 6, 2026
But the trip is barely halfway over, according to NASA.
After taking advantage of lunar gravity to perform a “free return” maneuver, the spacecraft will begin its return home.
Lunar influence departure is scheduled for this Tuesday at 1:25 PM.
The way back will not be easy.
Next April 11, the Orion capsule will have to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at incredible speeds, facing extreme temperatures of almost 3,000 degrees Celsius (about 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit).
The ultimate goal is a perfect splashdown in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, where recovery teams are already waiting to welcome them as the new heroes of the space age.
Artemis II is not just a round trip; it is the litmus test for the Artemis III mission to finally bring the first woman and the next man to set foot on the lunar surface in the next few years.
Do you think this record is the first step towards our soon being able to take a vacation on the Moon or do you still see it as science fiction?
Filed under: Artemis II record Apollo 13
