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NASA crew goes above and beyond - 13th April 2026

NASA: "4, 3, 2, 1, booster ignition and liftoff."

NASA astronauts have travelled further from Earth than any humans have previously. The Artemis II crew flew 406,773 kilometres out into space.

The previous record of 400,171 kilometres had been set by the crew of Apollo 13, in 1970. While that record was due to a lifesaving emergency manoeuvre, this time everything was planned.

Aboard their Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, Artemis II's crew communicated with mission control as they broke the record. Reid Wiseman acknowledged those that had boldly gone before them.

Reid Wiseman: "From Cabin of Integrity here, as we surpass the fur, the furthest distance humans have ever travelled from planet Earth, we do so in honouring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration."

Flying above the lunar surface, the crew identified two newly formed craters. They've suggested naming these Integrity, after their craft, and Carroll. This was the name of Commander Wiseman's wife, who lost her battle with cancer in 2020.

NASA described the Artemis II mission as a lunar flyby, looping around the moon before returning to Earth. The spacecraft had been equipped with camera and video equipment to record the lunar landscape.

Those images, combined with the telemetry and communication information collected from the mission, will help ensure the success of future lunar visits. This includes the first moon landing since 1972, which NASA's scheduled for 2028.

Longer term, NASA intends to construct a lunar base to act as a staging post for deep space exploration. It could support a crewed flight to Mars.