NASA’s Artemis II mission has officially propelled humans farther from Earth than ever before, surpassing the previous record of 400,171 kilometers set by Apollo 13 in 1970. This achievement marks a significant milestone in NASA’s efforts to return to deep space, a goal that has been over fifty years in the making.

The Artemis II spacecraft is set to continue its journey as it orbits the Moon. The mission is anticipated to reach its apex distance shortly, and the crew is currently engaged in their first downlink event, responding to media inquiries about their historic lunar flyby.

NASA is providing live coverage of the mission, offering insights and visuals from the Orion spacecraft, including interior shots of the capsule, as bandwidth permits. Throughout the mission, new imagery will be shared, and daily briefings will be held from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, except for today when the flyby is taking place.

The crew will also participate in a series of updates as the mission unfolds. A key communication is expected around 4:10 AM AEDT, just before the flyby commences.

While the Apollo 13 mission was not intended to achieve such a distance, it inadvertently set the record due to an emergency situation that forced the crew to abort their lunar landing and instead circumnavigate the Moon for a quicker return to Earth. Despite facing challenges, such as a cold cabin and limited water supply, the astronauts returned home safely.

In contrast, the Artemis II mission is progressing under much improved conditions, marking a new distance record for humanity. As the spacecraft approaches the Moon, it is expected to reach the “lunar sphere of influence,” where the Moon’s gravitational pull becomes stronger than that of Earth.

At approximately 3:56 AM AEDT today, the Artemis II crew will officially surpass the Apollo 13 distance record and then embark on a groundbreaking six-hour flyby of the Moon, capturing unprecedented views of its far side. Stay tuned for live updates as this historic moment unfolds.