Artemis II live tracker: Astronauts prepare for historic moon flyby

The historic lunar flyby for the Artemis II mission is set for Monday afternoon.

Artemis II crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will fly around the moon and see parts of it never before seen by humans.

At 12:41 a.m., the Orion spacecraft entered the "lunar sphere of influence"—the region where the moon's gravitational pull is stronger than Earth's, according to NASA. 

The lunar flyby is expected to start at 2:45 p.m. and the crew will spend several hours making observations of the moon's surface.

During the flyby, the Orion spacecraft will be about 4,000 miles away from the surface of the moon. The crew will be able to see the far sides of the moon and take photos of different lunar features and describe what they see.

The flyby is expected to wrap up at 9:20 p.m.

The crew will then begin their journey home, with a planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California on Friday at 8:07 p.m. 

Timeline: Artemis II lunar flyby

Monday, April 6

• 12:41 a.m.: Orion enters lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.
• 1:30 p.m.: The science officer in mission control will brief the crew on their science goals for the upcoming flyby.
• 1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II crew is expected surpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth. 
• 2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin.
• 6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the Moon. 
• 6:45 p.m.: During "Earthset," Earth will glide behind the Moon from Orion’s perspective.
• 7:02 p.m.: Orion reaches its closest approach to the Moon at 4,070 miles above the surface.
• 7:07 p.m.: Crew reach their maximum distance from Earth during the mission.
• 7:25 p.m.: "Earthrise" marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon.
• 7:25 p.m.: NASA’s Mission Control Center should re -acquire communication with the astronauts.
• 8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew’s perspective.
• 9:20 p.m.: Lunar observations conclude.

Tuesday, April 7

1:25 p.m.: Orion exits the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.

Artemis II to break Apollo 13 distance record

During the lunar flyby, Artemis II will break Apollo 13's record of the furthest distance from Earth of any human mission.

Apollo 13 traveled 248,655 miles in April 1970.

Artemis II is expected to reach 252,000 miles around 7 p.m. amid its lunar flyby.

NASA: 40-minute communication blackout

As Artemis II passes behind the moon, NASA's Mission Control and Artemis II are expected to lose communication for about 40 minutes, as the moon blocks radio signals, NASA said.

Artemis I and the Apollo missions experienced similar communication blackouts. 

Once Orion emerges on the other side of the moon, the Deep Space Network is expected to reconnect with Orion, Artemis II, and Mission Control. 

NASA illustration: Here's how Artemis II gets from Earth to the moon – and back

Artemis II live tracker

NASA has created the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), where people can track the Orion spacecraft in real time. Click here to see where the spacecraft and the Artemis II astronauts are. 

Watch live: NASA video feed from Orion spacecraft

Here is a live video feed from the Orion spacecraft.

"Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness."

Timeline: How long does it take to reach the moon?

NASA’s Artemis II mission will orbit Earth for a day, travel to the moon for a flyby beyond its far side, and then return along a free-return trajectory, culminating in Orion’s reentry and a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

1. Earth orbit (Day 1): The Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth for one day to confirm all spacecraft systems are functioning properly.
2. To the moon (Days 2–5): Orion’s main engine will fire to propel the capsule out of Earth orbit toward the moon, roughly 244,000 miles (393,000 kilometers) away.
3. Moon flyby (Day 6): Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, passing about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) beyond the moon. Astronauts are expected to document the flyby with cameras and smartphones before heading back to Earth.
4. Return (Days 6–9): Using a free-return trajectory, Orion will use the moon’s and Earth’s gravity to guide the spacecraft safely home.
5. Reentry: The service module separates, and the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures up to 3,000°F (1,650°C).
6. Splashdown: The Artemis II crew will parachute into the Pacific Ocean, completing the mission much like Apollo astronauts did decades ago.

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