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NASA's Artemis II Mission Conducts Lunar Flyby, Surpassing Apollo 13 Distance Record
The Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts, is performing a seven-hour flyby of the moon, marking the first human approach to the lunar surface in over 50 years. The crew will exceed the Apollo 13 record by reaching 252,760 miles from Earth and observe the moon's far side, including the Orientale basin. The mission collects data to support future lunar landings targeted for 2028.
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NASA's Artemis II mission reached its closest approach to the moon on April 6, 2025, with four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft traveling farther from Earth than any previous human mission. m. ET. This marks the first time humans have left low Earth orbit since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
m. m. ET. During approximately five to seven hours of observation, the crew used three Nikon cameras with varying zoom lenses to photograph lunar features such as impact craters, ancient lava flows, surface cracks, and ridges. They provided live descriptions to scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center several times per hour.
The Orion spacecraft approached within 4,070 miles of the moon's surface, higher than the Apollo missions' 70-mile altitude, allowing the crew to view the entire lunar disk, including both poles and the far side. The far side, never visible from Earth due to tidal locking, includes features like the Orientale basin, a 600-mile-wide crater formed 3.8 billion years ago.
The crew became the first humans to observe the fully illuminated Orientale basin with the naked eye.
“— Dr. Kelsey Young, NASA Science Mission Directorate lead, April 6, 2025 (CNN)”
The mission targeted 30 specific lunar features for observation and documentation. This data and photographs will inform NASA's plans for future missions, including potential human landings as early as 2028.
ET, the spacecraft exceeded the Apollo 13 distance record set in 1970 during its emergency return. m. ET, as Orion passed behind the moon, blocking signals to NASA's Deep Space Network. Contact resumed upon reemergence, similar to blackouts in Artemis I and Apollo missions.
