Four astronauts aboard NASA's Artemis II mission shattered the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth on Monday, surpassing a mark that had stood for 56 years. The crew reached 406,771 kilometers from our planet at 1:57 p.m. EDT, breaking Apollo 13's previous record of 400,171 kilometers set in April 1970.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are now conducting the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972. Their Orion spacecraft, nicknamed "Integrity" by the crew, passed within 6,545 kilometers of the Moon's surface during a critical phase that included a planned 40-minute communications blackout.
As we surpass the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so honoring the extraordinary efforts of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey going even farther into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to all that we hold dear. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.
Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist — NASA
The mission began its historic day with a recorded message from the late Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, who died in August 2025. Lovell, who commanded both Apollo 8 and the record-setting Apollo 13 mission, welcomed the crew to his "old neighborhood" and urged them not to forget to enjoy the view.
During their seven-hour observation window, the astronauts documented approximately 30 scientific targets on the lunar surface, including the ancient Orientale Basin and the mysterious Hertzsprung crater. Koch became the first woman to observe the Moon's far side with human eyes, describing features invisible from Earth.
French coverage emphasizes the international collaboration aspect, highlighting Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen's role and framing this as a multilateral achievement in space exploration. The narrative focuses on the scientific and technological advancement rather than American space dominance.