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LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC — The crew of the Artemis II mission reached a historic milestone on April 6, 2026, traveling further into space than any humans in history during a successful lunar flyby.
The Orion spacecraft reached its furthest point of 406,773 km from Earth, officially breaking the previous record of 400,171 km set by the Apollo 13 mission on April 14, 1970. The crew—consisting of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch—passed within approximately 6,545 kilometers of the lunar surface at their closest approach.
During the maneuver, the crew orbited the far side of the Moon, capturing high-definition imagery and experiencing an “Earthrise”—the visual of Earth rising over the lunar horizon. The mission marks the first time a Canadian has ventured beyond Low Earth Orbit.
Earthset
Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon.
Image Credit: NASA
“With Jeremy Hansen onboard Artemis II, Canada is making history,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry. “This achievement builds on decades of strategic investments in Canada’s space sector and proves that our nation’s expertise has been pivotal to space exploration.”
The Orion spacecraft is currently utilizing the Earth-Moon gravity field to return to Earth. A splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Diego is scheduled for April 10, 2026. Artemis II serves as the first crewed test flight in a campaign intended to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.
Source: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) News Release, April 7, 2026. Beyond the Moon: Artemis II crew reached the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth.
