Artemis II astronauts to set distance record with moon flyby

Live Artemis II live updates as astronauts to set distance record with moon flyby By Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Sarah Lynch Baldwin Deputy Managing Editor Sarah Lynch Baldwin is a deputy managing editor of CBSNews.com. She helps lead national and breaking news coverage and shapes editorial workflows. Read Full Bio Sarah Lynch Baldwin, Emily Mae Czachor, Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor, William Harwood William Harwood CBS News Space Consultant Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News. Read Full Bio William Harwood April 6, 2026 / 9:48 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google What to know about the Artemis II moon mission todayArtemis II astronauts are expected to make history Monday when they travel farther from Earth than any humans in history. The Orion spacecraft's four-person crew is scheduled to pass the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,655 miles from Earth, set in 1970, and continue on to 252,760 miles.The astronauts are conducting a lunar flyby that is set to make them the first humans to see some parts of the far side of the moon with the naked eye. The spacecraft's closest approach to the moon will be 4,070 miles.The crew is expected to briefly lose signal during their flyby Monday, which comes five days after the Artemis II mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a test flight setting the stage for future moon missions. New Updates   5m ago Crew to wake up soon to break record, conduct lunar flyby The Artemis II crew is scheduled to wake up at 10:50 a.m. ET Monday, hours before they are expected to break a distance record and cond...