NASA announced that the Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts on the "Artemis 2" mission, has successfully flown around the moon's far side, setting a record as the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.
On 7 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that the four astronauts aboard Orion—Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—completed the flyby of the moon’s far side at approximately 01:10 Thailand time, establishing the record for the greatest distance humans have traveled from Earth.
The 10-day "Artemis 2" mission marks the first time in over half a century that humans have traveled beyond Earth's orbit, flying around the moon’s far side before returning to Earth. Although this mission does not include a lunar landing, its goal is to test the spacecraft’s systems and collect data for future missions.
NASA stated that data from this mission is crucial for preparing to send humans back to land on the moon under the next phase of the Artemis program. This represents not only a major milestone in space exploration but also lays the groundwork for humanity’s long-term objectives, including establishing lunar bases and traveling to other planets.
Source: CNN / NASA