Watch live as the Artemis II team sees the far side of the moon for the first time.

Artemis II Heads for Historic Moon Flyby

Artemis II is gearing up for a significant milestone during its 10-day mission to the moon. The lunar journey began on the night of April 1, and the spacecraft is set to orbit the far side of the moon on Monday.

“The Artemis II crew is preparing for today’s lunar flight, which will see the far side of the moon.”

This mission aims to break the previous record for the farthest distance from Earth, a record held by the Apollo 13 mission since April 1970. According to reports, the Artemis II crew is expected to travel about 252,760 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s maximum distance of 248,655 miles.

Live coverage of the flyby will start at 1:00 PM ET and continue until around 9:45 PM ET. During this seven-hour observation window, the moon will be closest to the astronauts at approximately 2:45 PM, with an expected encounter around 7 PM. At this point, the moon will appear as large as a basketball held at arm’s length.

In the morning on the day of the flyby, NASA shared two photos from inside the spacecraft, humorously captioned: “Morning routine: wake up, shave, make bed, witness things never seen before with human eyes.”

In a touching tribute, the crew received a message from the late Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, recorded before his passing last year. Lovell encouraged the Artemis II team, recalling his own experiences during Apollo 8 as the first humans to see the moon up close. He emphasized the importance of enjoying the view, along with offering his best wishes for their journey.