Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 distance record from Earth

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Four astronauts on Artemis II have set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth.

At 12:56 p.m. CDT on Monday, the crew passed 248,655 miles from Earth, breaking the record set during Apollo 13. They are expected to reach about 252,756 miles at the mission’s peak before heading back.

The six-day mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The team continues capturing images of the Moon as they travel deeper into space.

The journey began with a successful April 1 launch from Kennedy Space Center aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft. After leaving Earth’s orbit, the crew set course for the Moon.

During the mission, the astronauts will fly within about 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface. They will also observe parts of the Moon’s far side not seen directly by humans before, and witness a solar eclipse.

Communication with Earth is expected to briefly drop for about 40 minutes as the Moon blocks signals between the spacecraft and mission control at Johnson Space Center.

The crew is also collecting valuable data, photos, and videos to support future missions. These findings will help NASA plan its long-term goal of returning humans to the Moon and eventually sending missions to Mars.

The astronauts are scheduled to return on April 10, with a splashdown planned off the coast of San Diego. Recovery teams will bring them safely back before post-mission checks.

Artemis II marks a major step forward in human space exploration and NASA’s plans to build a lasting presence on the Moon.

Source : Nasa

More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.