Artemis crew reaches the moon, approaches record-breaking distance from Earth

April 6, 2026 4:26 PM

Artemis crew reaches the moon, approaches record-breaking distance from Earth

The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission entered the moon's gravitational sphere of influence early Monday morning as they cruised along a path that will soon take them over the shadowed, lunar far side to become the farthest-flying humans in history. The Artemis II crew, flying in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week, are due to awake around 10:50 a.m. ET (8:20 p.m. IST) Monday for their sixth flight day. By 7:05 p.m. (4:35 a.m. IST) on Tuesday, they will reac...

Artemis capsule boost puts astronauts moon-bound for record-breaking journey

April 3, 2026 11:21 AM

Artemis capsule boost puts astronauts moon-bound for record-breaking journey

The Orion capsule carrying four astronauts in NASA's Artemis II mission executed a key thruster firing on Thursday that will kick the crew out of Earth's orbit and on a path toward the moon, committing them to reaching the farthest distance humans have ever traveled in space. The successful maneuver put the crew on a path to enter the moon's sphere of gravitational influence by Sunday morning, as they prepare to beat the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. "We are getting just a beautifu...