The team of the US Orion spacecraft (Artemis-2 mission) was further from the Earth during its mission to the Moon than any man in history, breaking the record set more than half a century ago by the Apollo 13 team, the National Aerospace Administration said.
By 21:00 Kiev time on April 6, Artemis 2 was 252,752 miles (more than 406,000 kilometres) from Earth, more than 4,000 miles further than Apollo 13 in 1970.
These are not the final numbers – Artemis 2 continues to move further away from Earth. The team will soon begin direct observations of the Moon and on the night of April 7 will pass from the satellite at a distance of about 7 thousand kilometres. After circling the Moon, the ship will begin the return to Earth. For the position of the ship can be watched online, NASA has a live video broadcast.
The ship was launched on 1 April (on the night of 2 April Kiev time). There are four astronauts on board – three Americans and a Canadian.
Artemis-2 is a key element of the new US lunar programme. During the flight, the astronauts must test the life support system in deep space. The success of the mission is a condition for the extension of the programme, which could include a manned mission with a landing on the Moon as early as next year.
The Artemis-2 team set a record for the distance of people from the Earth