The crew of Artemis II has entered its return phase after completing a landmark lunar fly-by that pushed human spaceflight farther from Earth than ever before.

The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft reached a peak distance of approximately 252,756 miles, surpassing the long-standing record set by Apollo 13.

The milestone was achieved during a critical segment of the mission, when the spacecraft passed behind the Moon, temporarily cutting off communications with NASA for about 40 minutes.

The blackout, a planned consequence of the Moon obstructing signals to Earth, coincided with the mission’s maximum distance from the planet.

Lunar fly-by delivers scientific observations and rare views

The six-hour lunar fly-by provided the crew with extended opportunities to observe and document the Moon’s surface, including regions of the far side that remain largely unseen from Earth.

Using handheld digital cameras, the astronauts captured high-resolution imagery of geological features under varying lighting conditions.

At closest approach, the Orion spacecraft passed roughly 4,000 miles above the lunar surface. The data gathered during this phase, including imagery, telemetry, and communications logs, is expected to inform planning for future missions under the Artemis programme, particularly those linked to long-term lunar infrastructure development.

Record-breaking trajectory and mission timeline

Launched on April 1 aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Artemis II is the first crewed mission in the Artemis programme.

The spacecraft executed a series of propulsion burns after reaching orbit, placing it on a trajectory toward the Moon.

At 12:56 pm CDT on Monday, the mission crossed the previous human spaceflight distance record, marking a symbolic and operational milestone for Artemis II. The prior benchmark of 248,655 miles, set during Apollo 13, stood for more than five decades.

During the fly-by, the crew also reported witnessing a solar eclipse from deep space, an event described by NASA as unprecedented for human observers.

The alignment occurred as the Moon moved between the spacecraft and the Sun, offering a perspective unavailable from Earth or low-Earth orbit missions.

The communications blackout, lasting approximately 40 minutes, occurred as expected while Orion passed behind the Moon from Earth’s perspective.

Contact was re-established shortly after the spacecraft emerged, reconnecting with mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Six days into the mission, the international crew – comprising NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen – continues to conduct observational tasks as the spacecraft heads back toward Earth.

Crater to be named in honour of astronaut’s late wife

In addition to scientific work, the crew proposed names for two lunar craters observed during the mission.

They agreed one should be called Integrity, after their Orion spacecraft, and another in memory of astronaut Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died in 2020.

The proposals will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union, which oversees the naming of celestial features, and the crew is hopeful they’ll be well received.

Separately, the astronauts received a call from President Donald Trump during the mission, who praised the crew and extended an invitation to the White House upon their return.

Return trajectory and planned splashdown

With the lunar fly-by complete, Artemis II is now on a four-day return journey to Earth. The mission is scheduled to conclude with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego on April 10.

Recovery operations will involve helicopter retrieval of the crew and transfer to the USS John P. Murtha, where initial medical evaluations will take place. The astronauts will then be transported back to shore for further post-flight procedures.

As a test mission, Artemis II is designed to validate systems and operational procedures ahead of future crewed landings.

The success of its lunar fly-by and record-setting trajectory marks a significant step toward sustained human presence beyond low-Earth orbit.