Image: WESH

Artemis II Breaks Distance Record, Completes Historic Lunar Flyby

07 April, 2026.Technology and Science.20 sources

Key Takeaways

Artemis II completed a lunar flyby, surpassing Apollo 13 distance record at approximately 252,756 miles.
The Orion circled behind the Moon, triggering a roughly 40-minute communications blackout.
Trump congratulated the crew during a live call after the flyby.

Record-Breaking Flyby

NASA's Artemis II crew completed a six-hour lunar flyby that pushed humanity farther from Earth than ever before.

“President Donald Trump called the Artemis II astronauts after the historic lunar flyby on Monday and invited them to the Oval Office upon their return to Earth”

ABC News

They broke Apollo 13's 56-year-old distance record, reaching 252,756 miles from Earth.

ABC News

Communications were lost for about 40 minutes during the transit behind the lunar far side.

The crew became the first humans to see the entire far side of the moon with their own eyes.

They witnessed a solar eclipse from deep space, viewing the sun's corona.

President Trump called to congratulate the crew.

Scientific Observations and Lunar Views

The crew conducted systematic observations and captured roughly 10,000 photos during the flyby.

They documented geological features and differences in color, brightness and texture.

BBC

The crew observed the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites.

The data gathered will inform planning for upcoming missions.

Emotional Moments and Global Perspective

The crew requested to name two new lunar craters: Integrity and Carroll.

“What to know about the Artemis II moon mission: - astronauts made history Monday as they took a trip around the moon and reached a maximum distance from Earth of 252,756 miles, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 by over 4,000 miles”