Science & Tech · Space · 1 hr ago
Artemis II crew set human distance record before returning safely
The four Artemis II astronauts flew around the Moon and returned to Earth in April 2026.
They travelled 219,669 nautical miles from Earth, setting a new human spaceflight distance record and passing the Apollo 13 record from 1970.
Commander Reid Wiseman said he expected the distance reading to fall after it reached the planned maximum, but it kept rising.
Wiseman feared the crew might not make it home when the reading went beyond that limit.
After about three minutes, the number began to fall, showing they were heading back toward Earth.
The crew had discussed the risk of a catastrophic error before launch, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said they had accepted that risk.
All four returned as scheduled, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10.
The Artemis II crew traveled 219,669 nautical miles from Earth, setting a record for the farthest distance humans have traveled.
Commander Reid Wiseman said he feared the crew might not return when their distance from Earth continued increasing beyond the planned maximum.
The crew’s distance began to decrease after about three minutes, indicating they were heading back toward Earth.
The four astronauts traveled 700,237 miles in total and splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego as scheduled on April 10.
Wiseman and fellow crew member Jeremy Hansen described the risks they had considered before launch.
- Who
- Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
- What
- The Artemis II crew set a human distance record during a lunar flyby and returned safely to Earth.
- When
- The crew launched on April 1, 2026, and splashed down on April 10.
- Where
- The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and ended with a splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego.
- Why
- The crew flew a lunar flyby before being slingshotted back to Earth.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Artemis II crew launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew reached 219,669 nautical miles from Earth, surpassing the planned maximum distance.
The distance reading began to fall, indicating the crew was heading back toward Earth.
The crew splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego as scheduled.
- Crew
- Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen
- Maximum distance from Earth
- 219,669 nautical miles
- Previous record
- Apollo 13, set in 1970
- Total distance traveled
- 700,237 miles
- Splashdown
- Pacific off San Diego, April 10, 2026
What people are saying
We're never going to come home, and so I was very scared.
I knew there was a good chance we might make it.
And by launch the crew was at peace, not because we're brave, it's not bravado, it's because we had an acceptance of whatever came, we would do the best, or our time would end.