Artemis II astronauts are on a mission to break Apollo 13's half-century-old distance record from Earth, flying past the moon to scout for future lunar bases and capture never-before-seen views of the lunar far side, including a rare solar eclipse.
The Artemis II mission is poised to set a new distance record for human spaceflight, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 achievement. While Apollo 13 reached 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth during its emergency free-return trajectory, Artemis II's crew is following a similar figure-eight path that will take them over 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers) further. The mission's long-term goal is to pave the way for a moon base complete with landers, rovers, drones, and habitats. During their close encounter, the astronauts will come within 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) of the moon, taking shifts to photograph lunar views, including portions of the far side never before seen by humans, such as the Orientale Basin. Equipped with professional cameras and iPhones, they will document their observations. A unique aspect of their April 1 launch is the opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse from the Orion capsule, offering several minutes of views of the sun's corona. The spacecraft will experience a communication blackout for approximately 40 minutes as it passes behind the moon, a tense but predictable event. After departing the lunar vicinity, Artemis II will take four days to return, aiming for a Pacific splashdown near San Diego on April 10. During the return trip, the astronauts will make history by linking up via radio with the crew of the International Space Station, marking the first time a moon crew has colleagues in space simultaneously, including a chat between Christina Koch (Artemis II) and Jessica Meir (ISS), both members of the first all-female spacewalk.
