The global space race is accelerating. NASA is pushing aggressively to establish a permanent human presence at the lunar south pole by 2028. China is right behind them with a crewed landing targeted for 2030. That high-stakes geopolitical pressure is the catalyst driving today’s historic milestone in deep space.
As of Monday, April 6, 2026, the four-person crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission has officially entered the moon’s sphere of influence. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are executing a flyby of the lunar far side. At exactly 1:46 p.m. ET, the Orion spacecraft is projected to surpass the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans, according to a detailed report published today. They will hit their absolute maximum distance of 252,760 miles by 7:02 p.m. ET.
This mission shatters the 56-year-old human distance record. Apollo 13 set the previous mark of 248,655 miles in 1970 during its emergency maneuver. No human has ventured beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
The crew is expected to lose contact with Earth for about 40 minutes Monday while they're behind the far side of the moon, also setting a new distance record. https://t.co/QRkjnZmtPP
— Local 5 News (@weareiowa5news) April 6, 2026
The Orion capsule is flying a free-return trajectory. It will pass as close as 4,070 miles to the lunar surface. That specific altitude is intentional. It gives the astronauts an unprecedented “basketball-sized” view of the entire lunar disc. They can observe massive structural anomalies like the Orientale Basin in a single glance. The crew recently shared dark Earth views during a broadcast from the capsule.
Spaceflight is never simple. NASA engineers are currently monitoring a hardware malfunction. Orion’s Universal Waste Management System experienced an ice plug complication approximately 24 hours after launch. The space toilet issue adds a heavy layer of logistical difficulty to the 10-day journey. The crew is completely cut off from Earth right now, facing a 40-minute communication blackout while orbiting behind the moon.
Why Orion’s High-Altitude Path Changes Lunar Reconnaissance
This flight fundamentally shifts how we map the moon. NASA is abandoning the traditional low-altitude orbit used heavily during the Apollo era. The free-return trajectory prioritizes deep-space survivability over close proximity.
It also provides crucial visual data. The wide-angle perspective of the lunar far side’s geological composition is mapping vital targets for incoming Artemis base-building operations. Jeremy Hansen’s inclusion proves international aerospace partnerships are now mandatory. He is the first non-American astronaut to ever travel to the Moon. The reconnaissance gathered today directly dictates the survival of the 2028 landing crew.