Artemis II flies behind the Moon, breaking the record for ‘farthest from Earth’

At 1:56 p.m. on April 6 (0:56 a.m. Hanoi time), the Orion spacecraft officially took the Artemis II crew past the record for the farthest distance humans have ever flown from Earth, 400,171 km, set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

“As we cross the furthest distance that humans have ever left Earth, we want to honor the feats and extraordinary efforts of our predecessors in the field of space exploration,” shared Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), member of the Artemis II crew. “We will continue our journey further into space before being pulled back by Mother Earth to all that we hold dear. But the most important thing is that we choose this moment to challenge the current generation and the next generation, ensuring the new record will not last long,” he added.

Orion is expected to continue moving and reach the mark furthest away from the blue planet, 406,773, about 5 hours later.

Previously, from 10:35 a.m. on April 6 (9:35 p.m. on the same day Hanoi time), NASA announced on X that the Artemis II crew had woken up, starting the 6th day of the mission 30,304 km from the Moon. They received a special message that Jim Lovell, a NASA astronaut who participated in the Apollo 8 and 13 missions, recorded before his death in 2025.

Lovell greeted the Artenis II crew, including mission commander Reid Wiseman (NASA), pilot Victor Glover (NASA), mission specialist Christina Koch (NASA) and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency CSA).

“I’m proud to pass on the torch as you orbit the Moon and lay the foundation for a mission to Mars for the benefit of the world. This is a historic day and I know you’ll be very busy, but don’t forget to enjoy the view. To Reid, Victor, Christina, Jeremy, and their amazing support teams, good luck and a safe journey from all of us on our beloved Earth,” he said.

NASA broadcast the round-trip flight live at 13:00, scheduled to continue until 21:45 on April 6 (from 0:00 to 8:45 on April 7, Hanoi time), starting with a discussion between the Artemis II crew and a team of scientists at the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center, Houston, to review the goals and flight schedule.

Because the angle of the Sun’s rays on the Moon changes by about one degree every two hours, the crew cannot accurately predict the lighting conditions on the surface of this celestial body. The briefing provides a final opportunity to review details before commencing the circling flight.

NASA said there are 10 scientific goals and 35 other goals that the Artemis II crew needs to aim for during their flight around the back of the Moon. Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman and three teammates will be the first people to observe the Moon up close since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Theo CNNin addition to intensive training to observe the unique features of the Moon, astronauts also possess one of the most amazing “scientific tools”: eyes.

“Even from a distance of up to 6,500 km, the human eye can still recognize details that are important to the scientific community,” said Judd Frieling, Flight Director of the Artemis II launch stage.

For example, during the Apollo 17 mission, the last manned mission of the Apollo program to the lunar surface in 1972, NASA astronaut and geologist Harrison Schmitt discovered orange soil and collected samples. When returning to orbit, the Apollo 17 crew continued to see the same orange color on the Moon’s surface. This discovery then shows that volcanic processes on the surface have been going on for longer than previously thought.

“We expect Artemis II to detect such sophisticated colors, especially in distant regions never before observed by the human eye. Thanks to what Apollo provides, we can ask smarter questions,” said Kelsey Young, lunar science team leader for the Artemis II mission.

Although Artemis II did not land on the Moon, the crew’s observations of color differences could help better understand the origin and composition of the Moon, as well as why the near and far sides of the Moon look so different. Photometric measurements, which take advantage of different lighting conditions during circling, can also provide valuable information, Young added.

The Orion spacecraft left the launch pad on the evening of April 1 (5:35 a.m. April 2, Hanoi time) carrying four astronauts to the Moon, NASA’s first manned mission beyond low Earth orbit after 54 years. The mission is designed as a stepping stone to NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon.

Artemis has experienced many setbacks and is behind schedule. The Artemis I unmanned mission took place in November 2022, after a series of delays and cancellations. In February this year, NASA also had to postpone the Artemis II launch schedule after encountering problems during the fuel loading rehearsal.

If no other major problems arise during Artemis II, NASA will test Orion and lunar landers in Earth orbit during the Artemis III mission in 2027. The agency aims to perform the first lunar landing in 2028 with the Artemis IV mission. By the 2030s, NASA expects to begin developing settlements, autonomous robots and cargo landing stations, aiming to establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.