Orion spacecraft sets record for furthest distance travelled by humans in space

WASHINGTON, 7th April, 2026 (WAM) — The Orion spacecraft has established a new record for the furthest distance travelled by a crewed vehicle in human history during its Artemis II mission, NASA has announced.

In a live broadcast, the space agency confirmed that the vessel reached its closest approach to the Moon, marking a pivotal milestone in lunar exploration after a five-decade hiatus in human presence.

Launched last Wednesday with four astronauts on board, the mission marks the realisation of a strategic objective pursued by the United States and the international community for 53 years.

Artemis II represents the first crewed flight to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, signalling a new era in deep-space discovery.