Any human who travels more than 62 miles high has successfully reached the internationally-recognizedboundary of outer space, known as the Kármán Line.
ThoseArtemis II astronauts? They're just alittlebit further than that.
How far exactly inspaceare they? To put it in relatable context, the Orion crew capsule the Artemis II crew is riding on a 10-day trip around the moon is, as of the morning of April 2, way,wayhigher than theInternational Space Station.
And theyhave a lot further to go yet.
Ahead of the Artemis II astronauts will be about four days of traveling toward the moon, wherethey should make historyby traveling about a quarter-of-a-million miles from Earth. From there, they'll swing around the moon and end their journey with about685,000 miles on Orion's odometer.
Artemis II and it's crew of four lift off from Kennedy Space Center April 1, 2026 on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
People set cameras to photograph NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby mission, with the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion crew capsule, on Pad 39B ahead of the launch of the Artemis II mission at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., March 31, 2026. The rocket is scheduled for an April 1, 2026, 6:24 p.m. launch of the 10-day mission." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The countdown clock runs as NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft sit on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Photographers set up remote cameras inside Pad 39B March 31, 2026 in advance of the launch of Artemis II." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The Highland Mint in Melbourne, Fla. has minted an Artemis II collector coin." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 31, 2026, ahead of the crewed lunar mission." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See the moment Artemis II lifts off for historic moon mission
Artemis IIand it's crew of four lift off from Kennedy Space Center April 1, 2026 on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Craig Bailey, FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK
Here's what to knowas the Artemis II astronauts begin their crucial test flight, aimed at setting the stage for aNASA moon landing in 2028.
Artemis II:Here's why Artemis II isn't landing on the moon - and what mission could
Where is Artemis II now?
NASA's Artemis II missiongot off the groundat 6:35 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 1, from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The agency's towering 322-footSpace Launch System rocketprovided the initial burst of power topropel the Orion spacecraftwith the astronauts inside on its way.
What followed the launch was aseries of complex stepswithin the first few hours of the mission to set the stage of the Artemis II crew to begin the 10-day journey around the moon in the Orion capsule.
As of the morning of April 2, the astronauts continue to orbit Earth about 46,000 miles high.
Artemis II astronauts orbiting Earth 184 times higher than ISS
That height is about 184 times higher than the orbit of theInternational Space Station, which is typically about 250 miles above Earth.
Theaging 25-year-old orbital outposthasseven astronauts on board, including three Americans, all of whom are taking part in scientific experiments designed for microgravity and helping to maintain the station.
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Recently, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williamsconducted the first spacewalk of the yearoutside the station, suiting up to lay the groundwork for the future installation of solar arrays.
What's the difference between low-Earth and high-Earth orbit?
The space station circles our planet at an altitude referred to aslow-Earth orbit, which is closer to Earth's atmosphere and allows the outpost to move more quickly around Earth than objects further out in space. In fact, in a typical day, the ISS orbits Earth about 16 times, according toNASA.
SpaceX's Starlink satellitesandAmazon's LEO satellites, which provide commercial broadband internet services, also operate in low-Earth orbit in order to offer higher connection speeds.
The Orion spacecraft that the Artemis II astronauts are riding, on the other hand, is for the time being in a high-Earth orbit.
That altitude will eventually allow the astronauts to prepare Orion for a maneuver to raise the vehicle's perigee – an astronomical term referring to the point at which an object is nearest to Earth in its continuous orbit. The maneuver will set the Orion spacecraft up for operations to send it on a four-day trip toward the moon, known as a translunar injection burn.
The Space Launch System rocket Artemis II begins its journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Pad 39B March 19, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Inside NASA's Artemis mission to the moon
When will Artemis II reach the moon?
If all goes according to schedule, Artemis II is due to reach the moon and make a historic lunar flyby Monday, April 6.
The crew – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen – are ultimately setting out to test the Orion capsule as NASA eyesbuilding a lunar settlementin the years ahead.
Swooping around the moon's far side, the astronauts aboard Orion are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans ever have – surpassing the record of 248,655 miles set in 1970 during the infamousApollo 13mission. Whizzing by the moon up to 6,000 miles above the surface, the astronauts will also glimpse the celestial body's full disk, seeing sights that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed.
The crew of Artemis II (from left: Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Pilot Victor Glover and Commander Reid Wiseman) answer questions at a press conference as their Space Launch System rocket is transported to Pad 39B January 17, 2026. Artemis II is tentatively scheduled to launch on a mission to th Moon in early February. Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
NASA's Artemis 2 mission to fly 4 astronauts around moon. Photos of crew
How long is the Artemis II mission? Here's when they'll land on Earth
With the moon rendezvous complete, the astronauts will then make a four-day journey back to Earth, using our planet's gravity to naturallypull Orion back home, negating the need for propulsion or much fuel.
Once Orion blazes through Earth's atmosphere, a protective heat shield will be cast off to make way for parachutes to deploy and slow the vehicle down.
The capsule will then make a water landing likely Friday, April 10, in the Pacific Ocean near California, after which five orange airbags will inflate around the top of the spacecraft and flip the capsule into an upright position. After the landing, the crew would exit the vehicle ontoa recovery vesselwithin about two hours.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How far from Earth are the Artemis II astronauts? Higher than ISS
