Monday · April 6, 2026 · Artemis II — Flight Day 6 · LUNAR FLYBY DAY
EXPLORE THE COSMOS
HISTORIC — Human distance record broken TODAY
Max distance: 252,760 miles
Closest approach: 4,070 miles above Moon
Splashdown: April 10 · San Diego
🚀
🔴 Breaking — Happening Right Now — Flight Day 6
Artemis II Crew Breaks Apollo 13's 56-Year Distance Record & Executes Historic Lunar Flyby Today
At 1:56 p.m. EDT, Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch & Jeremy Hansen surpassed 248,655 miles — the all-time record set by Apollo 13 in April 1970 — becoming the most distant humans in history at 252,760 miles. Orion entered the Moon's gravitational sphere at 12:37 a.m. EDT. The 6-hour flyby includes views of the far side never seen by human eyes, a total solar eclipse from space, and a recreation of Apollo 8's iconic "Earthrise" photo. Live coverage now on NASA+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime & Apple TV.
🚀 Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 distance record — 252,760 miles — farthest humans EVER from Earth🌕 Orion entered Moon's gravitational sphere 12:37 AM EDT · Flight Day 6 underway📡 LIVE NOW: NASA+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime · 6-hour lunar flyby coverage🌌 Closest Moon approach 7:02 PM EDT · Just 4,070 miles above the surface📸 Crew recreating Apollo 8's iconic "Earthrise" photo during today's flyby☀️ Total solar eclipse from space — Sun passes behind Moon during flyby at 8:35 PM🌑 40-min comms blackout expected 6:44 PM as Orion passes behind far side of Moon🏁 Mission ends April 10 — splashdown off San Diego at 8:07 PM EDT🚀 Artemis II breaks Apollo 13 distance record — 252,760 miles — farthest humans EVER from Earth🌕 Orion entered Moon's gravitational sphere 12:37 AM EDT · Flight Day 6 underway📡 LIVE NOW: NASA+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime · 6-hour lunar flyby coverage🌌 Closest Moon approach 7:02 PM EDT · Just 4,070 miles above the surface
🚀 ARTEMIS II — ORION "INTEGRITY" — ACTIVE MISSION
Launched April 1 · 695,081-mile journey · First crewed Moon mission since Apollo 17, 1972
📡 Today's Lunar Flyby — Full Timeline (All Times EDT · April 6, 2026)
12:37 AM
✅ Entered Moon's sphere of gravitational influence — Orion ~39,000 mi from Moon, 232,000 mi from Earth
1:00 PM
✅ Live coverage begins on NASA+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku & NASA YouTube
1:30 PM
✅ Science briefing complete — 30 lunar targets reviewed with Mission Control including Orientale basin
1:56 PM
✅ DISTANCE RECORD BROKEN — Surpassed Apollo 13's 248,655-mile record — farthest humans ever from Earth
NOW 🔴
🔴 LIVE — Lunar flyby observation in progress — Crew studying 30 science targets, documenting the far side of the Moon never before seen by human eyes, splitting into pairs at windows with cameras
6:44 PM
Comms blackout (~40 min) — Orion passes behind the far side; radio signals blocked by the Moon
6:45 PM
"Earthset" — Earth glides behind the Moon from Orion's perspective
7:02 PM
Closest approach — Orion passes within 4,070 miles of the lunar surface
7:07 PM
Maximum distance — 252,760 miles from Earth — 4,105 miles farther than Apollo 13, the new all-time human record
7:25 PM
"Earthrise" — comms restored — Earth re-emerges from behind Moon; crew to recreate Apollo 8's iconic 1968 photo
8:35–9:32 PM
Total solar eclipse from space — The Sun passes behind the Moon, exposing the shimmering solar corona
Apr 10
Splashdown — Pacific Ocean near San Diego · 8:07 PM EDT — Recovery by USS John P. Murtha
The Artemis II Crew
RW
Reid Wiseman
Commander
NASA veteran, former ISS Commander. Test pilot. Age 50.
VG
Victor Glover
Pilot
First Black astronaut on a lunar mission. US Navy aviator. Age 49.
CK
Christina Koch
Mission Specialist
Record 328-day spaceflight. Multiple spacewalks veteran. Age 47.
JH
Jeremy Hansen
Mission Specialist
First Canadian to travel to the Moon. Fighter pilot. Age 50.
