Artemis II Approaches Far Side of the Moon: Historic 6-Hour Flyby Begins Today

On day six of its mission, NASA's Artemis II is closing in on the far side of the Moon. The four-person crew is about to achieve what no human has ever done before: view the Moon's far side with their own eyes for six continuous hours — a region even Apollo astronauts never reached.

Mission Status

• Day 6 of the 10-day mission
• Crew: Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen
• Spacecraft: Orion capsule, launched April 1 from Kennedy Space Center
• Milestone: About to become the humans who have traveled farthest from Earth

The Far Side Flyby

The most anticipated moment of the mission:

• When: April 6, 2:45 PM EDT (6:45 PM UTC)
• Distance: ~7,000 km from the lunar surface
• Duration: 6 hours of visibility
• Communication blackout: No contact with Earth during flyby
• What they'll see: The far side of the Moon — never before seen directly by human eyes

Why This Matters

• Apollo comparison: Even Apollo missions never spent this long viewing the far side
• Deep space validation: Testing all systems needed for future lunar missions
• Life support: Critical test of human-rated systems in deep space
• Navigation: Validating spacecraft navigation beyond Earth orbit
• Communications: Testing relay through NASA's Deep Space Network

The Journey So Far

Since launching April 1:

1. Launch: Successful from Kennedy Space Center
2. Earth orbit: Systems checkout completed
3. Trans-lunar injection: Orion set course for the Moon
4. Sphere of influence: Entered Moon's gravitational dominance Sunday night
5. Lunar orbit: Currently circling the Moon

What's Next

• After flyby: Moon's gravity will slingshot Orion back toward Earth
• Splashdown: Scheduled April 10 in the Pacific Ocean near California
• Total mission duration: 10 days
• Next step: Artemis III will land humans on the Moon, followed by Artemis IV establishing a lunar base

The Toilet Situation

Not everything has gone smoothly — the crew has been dealing with a malfunctioning toilet, a reminder that even in the most advanced spacecraft, basic human needs create engineering challenges.