Astronauts go further than ever - 13th April 2026

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

NASA's first Artemis moon mission has made history. Artemis II's astronauts flew 406,773 kilometres from Earth. This is the furthest that humans have ever travelled.

Apollo 13 astronauts had held this record since 1970. They'd travelled 400,171 kilometres from Earth.

Astronauts set the new record in NASA's Orion spaceship, which was named Integrity. As they passed the record distance, Reid Wiseman gave thanks to past space explorers.

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."

When they were flying over the moon, the astronauts identified two new craters. They asked to name one after their ship, Integrity. They named the other Carroll. This was the name of Wiseman's wife, who'd died from cancer in 2020.

Artemis II flew around the moon to collect photos and videos of the surface. This and other flight data will guide decisions on future missions. These include NASA's first moon landing since 1972, which is planned for 2028.

NASA also plans to develop a permanent moon base. This might make it easier to explore deep space. It could help us get to Mars too.