After more than 50 years, humans are finally traveling deeper into space again. Today on April 6, 2026, the four astronauts aboard Artemis-II entered the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence a region where the Moon’s gravity begins to guide the spacecraft. This marks a major milestone in space exploration. The mission is now set to break the record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth: 4,06,773 kilometers. That’s about 2,500 kilometers farther than the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. For decades, astronauts stayed relatively close to Earth. Artemis II is changing that. When will the crew fly around the Moon? The Artemis-II astronauts are scheduled to begin their lunar flyby on April 7, 2026, at 12:15 am IST. They will travel around the far side of the Moon before heading back home. To understand how far they’ve gone: This journey takes humans beyond distances reached since the Apollo era. What is a free-return trajectory and why is it important? Artemis-II is flying on a free-return trajectory, a special path that uses the Moon’s gravity to send the spacecraft back toward Earth automatically. In simple terms, the Moon helps steer the spacecraft home. This method also acts as a built-in safety system. Even if the spacecraft’s main engine stopped working, the crew could still return safely to Earth. Will Artemis-II break a speed record too? Yes. When the Orion spacecraft re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will travel at about 40,200 km per hour faster than any crewed spacecraft before. During re-entry, the heat shield will face temperatures close to 2,760°C, nearly half the Sun’s surface temperature. It must perform perfectly to protect the astronauts. Why this mission matters beyond the Moon Artemis-II is more than a Moon mission. Scientists will study radiation exposure, spacecraft performance, and how the human body reacts in deep space. This data will help prepare future missions to Mars. The Moon isn’t the final goal it’s practice.
