Artemis II Sets Human Distance Record During Far-Side Flyby

Overview

• The Orion crew completed a far‑side flyby Monday and reached about 406,773 kilometers from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s record.
• While behind the Moon, communications dropped for roughly 40 minutes and were restored once Orion came back into line of sight.
• Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen provided the first human eyewitness views of the Orientale Basin and other far‑side terrain for scientists in Houston.
• Orion passed about 4,000 miles (around 6,400 kilometers) above the lunar surface and used a free‑return path that bends it toward Earth without extra propellant.
• The spacecraft is now sending down images and data as it prepares for a Pacific splashdown near San Diego on April 10, a key step toward a crewed lunar landing under Artemis III.