Artemis II mission: Mission breaks Apollo 13’s distance record

Apollo 13’s maximum distance was 248,655 miles from Earth.

Moon from Orion spacecraft
Lunar flyby Before going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew close in the window of the Orion spacecraft. Orion and the four humans aboard entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:37 a.m. EDT on April 6, at the tail end of the fifth day of their mission. That marked the point at which the Moon’s gravity had a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Earth’s. Artemis II’s closet approach to the Moon will come on Flight Day 6, as they swing around the far side before beginning their journey back to Earth. About an hour after entering the lunar sphere of influence, Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch said, “We are now falling to the Moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!” (NASA)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

For the first time in more than five decades, astronauts will do a lunar flyby and break a record at the same time.

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Update 2 p.m. ET, April 6: Artemis II has gone farther than any other spacecraft, breaking the record set by Apollo 13, CNN reported. It happened at 1:56 p.m. ET.

It is expected to go 4,105 miles farther than Apollo 13.

Original report: The crew of the Artemis II was greeted by the song “Good Morning” and a special message from Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell, which was recorded before his death last year, NASA said.

“Hello, Artemis II! This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood! When Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and I orbited the Moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity’s first up-close look at the Moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I’m proud to pass that torch on to you — as you swing around the Moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars … for the benefit of all. It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view. So, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, and all the great teams supporting you – good luck and Godspeed from all of us here on the good Earth," Lovell said in the message.

April 6 will be one for the space record books as the Artemis II goes further than any other spacecraft, surpassing Lovell’s Apollo 13 in April 1970.

NASA said by 1:56 p.m. ET, the Artemis II will go past Apollo 13’s maximum distance of 248,655 miles during its emergency return to Earth. At about 7:07 p.m. ET, the Orion spacecraft will have traveled 252,760 miles from Earth, or its maximum distance, NASA said.

The lunar observation will start at about 2:45 p.m. ET and will last about seven hours. The last time a lunar flyby occurred was during Apollo 17 in 1972.

The flyby will be streamed, so those who want to see the moon and the historic mission.

Cameras are mounted outside of the Orion solar arrays and there will be a communications blackout once the spacecraft is on the dark side of the moon.

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