06/04/2026
Artemis II makes history today: Orion will travel further tonight than the Apollo 13 crew
The four astronauts aboard Orion will reach the farthest point from Earth in the history of manned spaceflight tonight, 6 April 2026. The crew of the Artemis II mission will break the existing record of 400,171 kilometres, held by the legendary Apollo 13 since 1970, after 8pm CEST. Orion had already entered the lunar sphere of influence Monday morning, where the moon's gravity began to overwhelm Earth's gravity. The astronauts are moving in a figure-eight-shaped orbit and will travel a record 406,773 kilometres from their home planet on Tuesday night. Before the launch, astronaut Christina Koch stressed that superlatives are not the most important thing for the crew, but she sees the passing of this milestone as a comprehensible milestone for the entire public. NASA has confirmed that the ship's systems are working flawlessly and the spacecraft is proceeding with its planned lunar orbit.
Image ID: 1088920844/Handout / NASA / AFP / Profimedia