🚀 RECORD BREAKING 🚨: Check out the record-breaking moment the Artemis II mission surpasses the Apollo 13 space team for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth. Stay with FOX Weather for the very latest on this historic journey.
The four-astronaut crew of Artemis II made history Monday, completing their record-breaking lunar flyby, traveling approximately 252,760 miles from Earth — farther than any humans have gone before.
See the complete day-by-day guide for the Artemis II mission below:
The crew aboard the Orion spacecraft entered the lunar gravitational sphere of influence — where the moon’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s — shortly after 12:40 a.m. ET, and began a seven-hour period of making detailed lunar observations Monday afternoon.
TIMELINE: A DAY-BY-DAY GUIDE TO THE 10-DAY ARTEMIS II MISSION TO BRING HUMANITY BACK TO THE MOON
According to NASA, Artemis II crew members — Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — broke the 1970 space travel record set by Apollo 13 by about 4,102 miles shortly before 2 p.m. ET.
“From the cabin of Integrity, as we surpass the furthest distance that humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” the crew said after surpassing the record.
After breaking the record, the crew took a moment to name a few space features, noting they were able to see them with their naked eye.
They suggested the name Integrity after the spacecraft they are on for an unnamed crater. The crew also recommended naming a bright spot on the moon — a lunar crater — in honor of Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
The Artemis II crew embraces in a hug on April 6, 2026.
(NASA / FOX Weather)
The feature at the nearside boundary, which is in a “really neat place on the moon,” may be visible from Earth at certain times during the moon’s transit around the Earth.
NASA PAUSES GATEWAY LUNAR-ORBIT SPACE STATION TO BUILD LUNAR BASE ON THE MOON
At 2:45 p.m. ET, the seven-hour lunar observation period began. With limited window space, the team dove into pairs to make observations, taking 90-minute shifts. This included future CLPS landing site, Reiner Gamma, a bright, mysterious swirl, and Glushko, a bright, 27-mile-wide crater known for the white streaks that shoot out from it for up to 500 miles.
NASA said that the crew reported color nuances, which will help enhance scientific understandings of the moon.
The Artemis II crew – NASA Astronaut Victor Glover (far left), CSA (Canadian Space Agency) Astronaut Jeremy Hansen (center left) and NASA Astronauts Christina Koch (center right) Reid Wiseman (right) present Jeremy Hansen with his Gold Wings signifying his first flight into space during Flight Day 5. When astronauts complete their astronaut candidate training, they receive a silver pin. A gold pin is awarded when they finally make it to space.
(NASA / FOX Weather)
NASA lost contact with the Orion capsule for roughly 40 minutes around 6:45 p.m., as Earth disappears completely behind the moon in a rapid “Earthset” and “Earthrise” phenomenon for the team.
This will also mark Artemis II’s closest distance to the moon, 4,070 miles, and when the capsule will use the moon’s gravity to “slingshot” around and begin its return course toward home.
NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, seen here on the fourth day of the mission, prepping for lunar flyby activities after completing aerobic exercise on the flywheel device.
(NASA)
The lunar observation period will conclude at 9:20 p.m, and Orion will fully leave the moon’s sphere of influence by Tuesday night.
The crew will transmit some of the high-resolution images of the far side of the moon on Tuesday.
ARTEMIS II BEGINS FIRST FULL DAY IN SPACE, PERFORMING CRITICAL SYSTEM CHECKS, MANEUVERS ON HISTORIC MISSION
A new image from the Artemis II crew shows the Orientale basin on the right edge of the lunar disk.
(@NASA / X)
Late Sunday night, the crew caught a historic first glimpse of the Orientale basin, on the moon’s most extreme western side and is nearly impossible to see from Earth.
“This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes,” NASA said on X.
Map of Artemis II mission.
(NASA)
After breaking free from Earth’s orbit Thursday, the four-person crew coasted through the void of space on a direct course to the moon, having completed pre-planned, precise course corrections early Friday, with NASA announcing the crew was more than halfway to the moon and officially closer to it than Earth.
TFW your bestie enters the chat.
During Thursday’s downlink with the Artemis II crew, the zero-gravity indicator, Rise, made an appearance and the crew’s reaction says it all. Not only an important instrument—the ZGI also reminds the astronauts of home. 🌎 pic.twitter.com/7idIvYiKv4
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) April 3, 2026
Throughout the weekend, the crew made final steering nudges to ensure Orion entered the correct orbital slot, guaranteeing the spacecraft would be able to “whip around” the moon.
In preparation for Monday’s lunar flyby, the crew exercised, practiced medical response procedures and tested the spacecraft’s emergency communications system in deep space, NASA said.
MEET THE ASTRONAUTS PREPARING FOR HUMANITY’S RETURN TO THE MOON ON THE ARTEMIS II MISSION
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo as NASA’s Artemis II is rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Along the way, the crew practiced zero-gravity CPR and other emergency procedures.
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They also tested a special exercise device onboard to determine if it significantly impacted Orion’s flight path. At the same time, engineers continued to monitor the spacecraft’s life support system, which maintained a comfortable cabin environment during the heavy physical exertion.
The Artemis II crew spoke late Thursday to Trace Gallagher, the host of FOX News @ Night, on their way to the Moon.
The crew spoke to Trace Gallagher, the host of FOX News @ Night, late Thursday, and was eager to thank their families for their support for the first time since launching.
NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the moon.
(NASA / FOX Weather)
Commander Wiseman highlighted the incredible achievement of the American space program.
“This is unbelievable, that we can put our minds to something and pull it off,” Wiseman said.
EVERYDAY INNOVATIONS BORN FROM SPACE TRAVEL
Mission Specialist Koch explained how the crew was getting adjusted to living in space, telling Gallagher that she was very comfortable sleeping upside down in zero gravity.
High-resolution photo of Earth viewed from Orion spacecraft.
(NASA/Reid Wiseman / FOX Weather)
NASA released the first high-resolution images of Earth from the Orion spacecraft on Friday. These pictures of the African continent were actually taken at night.
Historic launch
The historic flight launched Wednesday at 6:35:12 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center.
Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft atop the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket launch on the agency’s Artemis II test flight, Wednesday, April 1 from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(NASA/Eric Bordelon / FOX Weather)
A few hours before the mission’s launch window opened, the mission very briefly entered a “No-Go” range, while they addressed a glitch with the Flight Termination System.
After roughly 45 minutes, the mission returned to “Go” and things continued as planned.
FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell recaps historic Artemis II launch this past Wednesday.
FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell covered the launch live, describing the atmosphere during the launch as “electric.”
Mission control in Houston reported Friday that the Orion spacecraft is performing excellently.
ARTEMIS II BRINGS PIECES OF THE PAST ON ITS HISTORIC DEEP SPACE VOYAGE
After whipping around the moon Monday, the crew will begin the voyage home, set to splash down next Friday afternoon in the Pacific Ocean.
This mission serves as a critical test for the Orion spacecraft and a key building block of the Artemis program, which hopes to establish a long-term lunar base by 2030.
