NASA’s Artemis II mission has broken the record for the farthest human travel from Earth.

The four astronauts on board the Orion spacecraft surpassed the previous record of 400,171km (248,655 miles) on Monday at 15:58 GMT. The record was set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.

The mission, which is travelling around the far side of the moon, is due to reach its maximum distance of roughly 406,788km (252,760 miles) from Earth at 23:07 GMT.

The mission will journey around the moon in a flyby, during which the crew will spend more than six hours analysing and documenting lunar surface features. The Orion capsule will then head back to Earth in a “free-return trajectory”, a return trip that will take about four days.

The astronauts began their landmark day with a message from the late Jim Lovell, who took part in the Apollo 8 and 13 missions and recorded the message shortly before his death.

“It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be, but don’t forget to enjoy the view,” Lovell said.

“Welcome to my old neighbourhood. I’m proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon.”

Travelling around its far side, the astronauts will witness previously hidden lunar territory.

One image sent back by the crew showed the moon’s Orientale basin, a massive crater that before had only been viewed by orbiting cameras on uncrewed missions. Despite the technological advancements since the Apollo era, NASA still relies on the eyesight of its astronauts to learn more about the moon.

“The human eye is basically the best camera that could ever or will ever exist,” Kelsey Young, the lead scientist for the Artemis II mission, told the AFP news agency. “The number of receptors in the human eye far outweighs what a camera is able to do.”

Advertisement

A team of dozens of lunar scientists positioned in the Science Evaluation Room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, will be taking notes as the astronauts, who studied an array of lunar phenomena as part of mission training, describe their view in real time.

Adding to the historic nature of the mission, led by commander Reid Wiseman, the Artemis II crew includes several firsts. Victor Glover will be the first person of colour to fly around the moon. Christina Koch will be the first woman, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen the first non-American.

For about 40 minutes during the flyby, all communication with Artemis II will be cut off as the astronauts pass behind the moon.

The moon will appear to the astronauts “about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length,” Noah Petro, head of the US space agency’s planetary geology lab, told AFP.

While the Orion crew will still be quite far from the moon, their flyby is key to preparing for subsequent missions like Artemis III in 2027 and a lunar landing as part of the Artemis IV mission in 2028, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNN on Sunday.