Artemis II mission: LUCA and LESA support Artemis safety, success as crew prepares return journey

Artemis II mission: LUCA and LESA support Artemis safety, success as crew prepares return journey

NASA’s Artemis II mission is drawing support from a pair of nearly identical control rooms in Alabama, each playing a distinct role in keeping astronauts safe and operations on track as the crew heads back to Earth, Friday, April 10. At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, two facilities, […]

Artemis II Update-20, Day 7: ISS Crew Connects With Artemis II Astronauts Amid Busy Research Schedule

Artemis II Update-20, Day 7: ISS Crew Connects With Artemis II Astronauts Amid Busy Research Schedule

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station spoke with the Artemis II crew on April 8 following their lunar flyby, marking a rare ship-to-ship exchange between deep space and low Earth orbit. The Artemis II crew is returning to Earth after circling the Moon, while Expedition 74 astronauts continued biomedical research and mission training aboard the […]

Artemis II Update-19, Day 7: Crew Makes Long‑Distance Call, Prepares for Earth Return

Artemis II Update-19, Day 7: Crew Makes Long‑Distance Call, Prepares for Earth Return

NASA’s Artemis II crew began their return journey to Earth on April 7 after completing a historic lunar flyby a day earlier. The crew, traveling aboard the Orion spacecraft about 236,000 miles from Earth, exited the Moon’s gravitational influence and initiated return procedures. The mission includes a call with International Space Station astronauts, scientific debriefs, […]

Artemis II Update-17, Day 6: Lunar Flyby Updates

Artemis II Update-17, Day 6: Lunar Flyby Updates

Live lunar flyby updates for NASA’s Artemis II mission will be published on this page. All times are Eastern. 9:35 p.m. The Artemis II crew has completed the mission’s lunar observation period and is now beginning the return trip home. On Tuesday, April 7, Orion will exit the lunar sphere of influence at approximately 1:25 p.m., at a distance of […]

Artemis II Update-16, Day 6: Crew Nears Historic Lunar Flyby

Artemis II Update-16, Day 6: Crew Nears Historic Lunar Flyby

The four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission woke up  to a milestone few humans have experienced. Less than 19,000 miles from the Moon, they began final preparations for a lunar flyby that will mark humanity’s return to deep space after more than five decades. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy […]

Artemis II Update-14, Day 5: Crew Demos Suits, Readies for Lunar Flyby 

Artemis II Update-14, Day 5: Crew Demos Suits, Readies for Lunar Flyby 

Astronauts aboard Artemis II  continue their workday aboard the Orion spacecraft, testing survival suits and preparing for a lunar flyby set for Monday, April 6. The crew is set to enter the Moon’s gravitational influence just after midnight and execute a key trajectory correction burn later in the day. Final science targets, including major lunar […]

Artemis II Update-13, Day 5: Crew Tests Survival Suits As Spacecraft Nears Lunar Gravity Zone

Artemis II Update-13, Day 5: Crew Tests Survival Suits As Spacecraft Nears Lunar Gravity Zone

Astronauts aboard Artemis II began Flight Day 5 by testing their Orion survival suits as the Orion spacecraft closed to within 65,235 miles of the Moon. The activities include a full suit evaluation, a planned trajectory correction burn, and entry into the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence. The mission is transitioning into its final approach […]

Artemis II Update-12, Day 4: Astronauts Hand-Fly Orion, Sharpen Lunar Flyby Plan in Deep Space

Artemis II Update-12, Day 4: Astronauts Hand-Fly Orion, Sharpen Lunar Flyby Plan in Deep Space

Astronauts aboard Artemis II completed a 41-minute manual piloting test of the Orion spacecraft on Flight Day 4, taking turns controlling the vehicle in deep space. The demonstration, carried out tested thruster modes and maneuvering capabilities as the crew also reviewed targets for an upcoming lunar flyby. The mission continues on a stable trajectory toward […]

Artemis II Update-11, Day 4: Crew Enters Deep Space, Lunar Flyby Prep

Artemis II Update-11, Day 4: Crew Enters Deep Space, Lunar Flyby Prep

 As the Orion spacecraft continues its path toward the Moon, the Artemis II crew will spend their fourth flight day preparing for their lunar flyby on Monday, April 6. Traveling more than 169,000 miles from Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft, astronauts are set to manually pilot the vehicle and study the Moon from a distant […]

Artemis II Update-10, Day 3: Crew Prepares Orion Cabin As Lunar Flyby Nears Milestone

Artemis II Update-10, Day 3: Crew Prepares Orion Cabin As Lunar Flyby Nears Milestone

The crew of Artemis II moved into preparation mode on April 6 as their spacecraft, Orion spacecraft, continued its trajectory toward a lunar flyby. The outbound trajectory correction burn was canceled after flight controllers confirmed the spacecraft remained on course. Astronauts focused on cabin readiness, medical drills, and system checks as the mission passed its […]

Artemis II Update-9, Day 3: NASA cancels first trajectory correction burn

Artemis II Update-9, Day 3: NASA cancels first trajectory correction burn

NASA confirmed on April 4 that Artemis II’s first planned trajectory correction burn was canceled after Orion remained on its precise path to the Moon. The crew, traveling toward a scheduled lunar flyby on April 6, continues operations without the need for immediate adjustments. Mission controllers in Houston determined the spacecraft’s trajectory required no correction […]

Artemis II Update-6, Day 2 : Crew, houston poll ‘Go’ for Translunar injection burn, crew prepares for Moon flight

Artemis II Update-6, Day 2 : Crew, houston poll ‘Go’ for Translunar injection burn, crew prepares for Moon flight

NASA approved the translunar injection burn for Artemis II on April 2, clearing the Orion spacecraft to leave Earth orbit at 7:49 p.m. EDT. The burn will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen toward the Moon for the first time since 1972. The decision follows a mission management review confirming […]

Artemis II Mission Launch: NASA Sends Crew on First Moon Flyby in 50 Years

Artemis II Mission Launch: NASA Sends Crew on First Moon Flyby in 50 Years

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration launched four astronauts on April 2 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Artemis II mission. The crew is set for a 10-day test flight around the Moon, marking the first human lunar flyby since the Apollo era. The mission aims to validate spacecraft systems and pave the […]