Artemis II passes the moon for a groundbreaking view of the lunar far side.

Artemis II Launches Historic Moon Flyby

On Monday, Artemis II embarked on a landmark lunar mission, marking a significant moment as the crew and those back on Earth caught their first glimpse of the moon’s far side.

The spacecraft initiated its flyby at approximately 2:45 p.m. ET, charting a path around the moon over the next six hours, with views directed toward the moon’s hidden surface.

This mission is special because all four astronauts will be the first humans ever to witness certain areas of the moon’s far side, regions that remained largely obscured when Apollo missions orbited more than five decades ago.

During those Apollo flights, the proximity to Earth limited visibility considerably.

What sets Artemis II apart is its altitude. The capsule will glide between 4,000 and 6,000 miles above the lunar surface, providing ample opportunity for the crew to observe the entire hidden side under sunlight.

From the window of the Orion capsule, the moon would appear roughly the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. Interestingly, the astronauts noted that at the flight’s outset, the moon seemed about three to four times larger than Earth from their perspective.

Throughout their journey, the Artemis II astronauts will take photographs and make detailed observations of the moon’s underside as part of their research.

However, during the flyby, communication with Earth will be momentarily interrupted around 6:44 p.m. ET, as the moon will obstruct signals between the spacecraft and Earth.

Communications are expected to resume around 7:25 p.m., shortly after the capsule’s closest approach to the lunar surface, which occurs at about 4,000 miles high.

Earlier, around 2 p.m. ET, the crew broke a record for the greatest distance from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s long-standing record of 248,655 miles set in 1970.

By the time Artemis II completes its flyby, it will have reached approximately 252,757 miles from Earth.

The flyby will wrap up around 9:20 p.m., after which the crew will head back home. Interestingly, the capsule will utilize the moon’s gravity to create a slingshot effect for its return trip, negating the need to use thrusters.