Artemis II has reached a significant milestone, entering the Moon’s “sphere of influence” at a distance of 39,000 miles from the lunar surface. This transition occurred four days, six hours, and two minutes into the mission. The crew, consisting of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, is set to embark on a historic lunar flyby that will take them farther from Earth than any humans have gone before, surpassing the previous record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
Tomorrow, the spacecraft will loop around the Moon’s far side, reaching an apogee of 252,757 miles from Earth. During this time, the crew will engage in a lunar observation period starting at 2:45 PM ET, followed by a brief communication blackout as they pass behind the Moon. The closest approach to the Moon is expected at 7:02 PM ET, only 4,066 miles from the surface, allowing the astronauts to view the entire lunar disk.
NASA has planned live coverage of the flyby beginning at 1 PM ET, and the crew will also witness a solar eclipse as the Sun aligns with the Moon, providing a unique experience during their mission.