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The four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission entered the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence early Monday, marking a major milestone as they prepare to become the farthest-travelling humans in history.

 

Flying in the Orion capsule since their launch from Florida last week, the crew is expected to reach a maximum distance of approximately 252,757 miles from Earth later in the day, surpassing the record set by the Apollo 13 mission more than five decades ago.

 

The Artemis II astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are currently on the sixth day of their nearly 10-day mission, the first crewed test flight under NASA’s ambitious Artemis programme.

 

As they approach the record distance, the spacecraft will carry them around the Moon’s far side, offering a rare vantage point of the lunar surface from about 4,000 miles above. During this phase, Earth will appear as a small, distant sphere, partially obscured as the Moon eclipses it.

Also read: NASA launches Artemis II mission around the Moon

The lunar flyby, scheduled to begin later on Monday, will last around six hours and involve brief communication blackouts as the Moon blocks signals between the spacecraft and NASA’s Deep Space Network. Despite the temporary loss of contact, the crew is expected to conduct key observations and capture high-resolution images of the Moon.

 

Astronauts will use specialised cameras to document the lunar surface and the play of sunlight along its edges, creating an effect similar to a lunar eclipse. Scientists view this as a rare opportunity to gather valuable visual data from a perspective seldom achieved in human spaceflight.

 

The mission marks a critical step in NASA’s broader plan to return humans to the Moon by 2028 and establish a sustained presence on its surface. The Artemis programme aims to develop infrastructure that could eventually support future missions to Mars.

 

Back on Earth, a team of scientists at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is closely monitoring the mission, analysing real-time observations relayed by the crew.

 

The Artemis II flight not only pushes the boundaries of human exploration but also signals a renewed global race for lunar presence, as space agencies worldwide intensify their ambitions beyond Earth orbit.