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In April 2026, with the successful circumlunar flight of the Artemis II mission, human space exploration has once again written a historic chapter. The four-person crew reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles (approximately 406,771 kilometers) from Earth, breaking the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled — a milestone held by Apollo 13 for an astonishing 56 years.

The Artemis II astronauts, all in their 40s or 50s, flew higher above the lunar surface than the Apollo moon landing missions. The mission’s trajectory utilized a free-return path, using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot the Orion capsule back toward Earth for reentry.

The previous record was set during the Apollo 13 mission in April 1970, when astronauts Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles (approximately 400,171 kilometers) from Earth. Artemis II’s new record exceeded Apollo 13’s by approximately 4,100 miles.

Ars Technica recently interviewed 92-year-old Haise, the only surviving Apollo 13 astronaut. When asked about the record being broken, Haise was characteristically philosophical. “It wasn’t a big deal. It just coincided with the fact that the Moon was farther away from Earth at the time,” he remarked.

Haise also shared that he hasn’t been closely following the Artemis II mission. When the Orion capsule returned to Earth, he had just come back from his great-grandson’s baseball game. “I noticed from their projected flight plan that they’re past the Moon, on their cruise back toward Earth for reentry. The pictures they’ve taken are excellent — much higher resolution than what we had during Apollo, because it really looks like they got better equipment,” Haise noted.

Notably, while Artemis II’s record is remarkable, it may not stand for long. Because the Moon’s orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, the Earth-Moon distance varies between approximately 363,400 and 405,500 kilometers. When the Moon is near its apogee, future Artemis missions could potentially exceed this distance through orbital design.

NASA had originally planned to establish a mini-space station called “Gateway” near the Moon, whose near-rectilinear halo orbit could take astronauts as far as 70,000 kilometers from the lunar surface. However, NASA has since canceled the Gateway program, choosing instead to focus on building a base on the Moon’s surface. Astronauts there will learn to harvest water resources, live in partial gravity, and prove technologies critical for future expeditions to Mars.

Analysts note that astronauts on most lunar landing missions likely won’t exceed Artemis II’s distance from Earth, as future rendezvous points will be closer to the Moon. The real breakthrough will likely come only when humans first undertake a mission to Mars — at which point astronauts will depart Earth at distances far beyond lunar orbit, creating an entirely new historical record.

Among the more than 100 billion people who have walked the Earth in human history, the Artemis II astronauts have ventured farther from our planetary cradle than anyone else. While it may not be walking on the Moon, it represents something far more than a mere piece of trivia — it is a testament to humanity’s enduring quest to push the boundaries of exploration.

Source: Ars Technica, NASA