The Artemis II crew set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from earth.
The astronauts reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 crew’s 1970 record by about 4,101 miles before turning back to complete a flyby of the moon.
On the journey back, the spacecraft experienced a planned 40-minute communications blackout with earth while crossing the moon’s far side.
During the blackout, the crew observed Earthrise, studied the moon’s far side, and witnessed a rare solar eclipse from aboard the Orion spacecraft. These observations offered new perspectives never before seen directly by astronauts.
The flyby marks the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, signaling a renewed push to explore deep space and eventually return humans to the lunar surface.