With a\u00a0demonstration\u00a0underway\u00a0of the\u00a0Orion crew survival system\u00a0spacesuit, the\u00a0crew\u00a0also\u00a0will\u00a0prepare\u00a0for their lunar flyby\u00a0set for\u00a0Monday,\u00a0April 6, including reviewing their final science targets, and getting ready for the final outbound trajectory correction burn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0crew will\u00a0enter the lunar sphere of gravitational influence\u00a0at approximately 12:41 a.m.\u00a0EDT\u00a0April 6.<\/p>\n
Spacesuit testing<\/p>\n
The crew\u00a0members are\u00a0in\u00a0the midst of\u00a0testing their\u00a0Orion Crew Survival System<\/a>\u00a0suits,\u00a0performing\u00a0leak checks, simulating\u00a0seat entry, and assessing\u00a0mobility and their ability to eat and drink. The suit protects astronauts during dynamic phases of flight and provides life support\u00a0in the event of\u00a0cabin depressurization and survival operations after splashdown.<\/p>\n Fine\u00a0tuning\u00a0lunar flight path<\/p>\n Following\u00a0spacesuit evaluations, the crew\u00a0will turn\u00a0their attention to\u00a0the\u00a0planned\u00a0outbound trajectory correction\u00a0(OTC)\u00a0burn,\u00a0scheduled for\u00a011:03 p.m.\u00a0EDT.\u00a0The\u00a0maneuver\u00a0will\u00a0refine\u00a0the\u00a0Orion<\/a>\u00a0spacecraft\u2019s\u00a0path toward the Moon.\u00a0Earlier in the mission,\u00a0flight\u00a0controllers\u00a0cancelled the\u00a0previous\u00a0two\u00a0planned trajectory correction\u00a0burns,\u00a0as\u00a0Orion\u2019s\u00a0trajectory remained\u00a0precise.\u00a0Koch\u00a0and\u00a0Hansen\u00a0will\u00a0review\u00a0procedures for the\u00a0upcoming\u00a0burn, with Hansen\u00a0monitoring\u00a0the spacecraft\u2019s configuration and navigation data.<\/p>\n Crew\u00a0receives\u00a0final\u00a0science\u00a0targets<\/p>\n Early\u00a0Sunday, mission control sent the crew the final list of lunar surface features the science team has assigned for observation and photography during the lunar flyby on\u00a0April 6. Ahead of the flyby, the crew will work through final preparations and hold a conference with mission controllers to\u00a0finalize\u00a0lunar targets and techniques.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a030\u00a0targets include\u00a0the\u00a0Orientale basin, a\u00a0nearly 600-mile-wide\u00a0crater that straddles the Moon\u2019s near and far sides. Orientale will be fully illuminated and visible as Orion approaches the Moon. This 3.8-billion-year-old crater formed when a large object\u00a0struck\u00a0the\u00a0lunar surface\u00a0and\u00a0retains\u00a0clear\u00a0evidence\u00a0of that collision,\u00a0including\u00a0dramatic topography in its rings.\u00a0The crew\u00a0will study Orientale\u2019s features up close and from\u00a0multiple\u00a0angles as they pass by.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hertzsprung basin\u00a0also\u00a0is on the crew\u2019s list of targets.\u00a0Northwest of Orientale is a\u00a0nearly 400-mile\u00a0crater on the Moon\u2019s far side.\u00a0An older ringed basin, Hertzsprung offers a\u00a0unique\u00a0contrast to Orientale\u00a0because\u00a0its features have\u00a0been\u00a0degraded by\u00a0subsequent\u00a0impacts. The crew will compare the topography of the two craters to gain insight into how features\u00a0evolve\u00a0over geologic timescales.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Key moments for the lunar flyby\u00a0include this following.\u00a0All times\u00a0are\u00a0Eastern and\u00a0may\u00a0change based on real-time operations:\u00a0<\/p>\n Monday, April 6<\/p>\n 12:41 a.m.: Orion enters lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.<\/p>\n 1:30\u00a0p.m.: The science officer in mission control will\u00a0brief the crew on\u00a0their science goals for the upcoming flyby.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1:56\u202fp.m.: The Artemis II crew\u202fis expected\u202fsurpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.\u202f<\/p>\n 2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin.\u00a0<\/p>\n 6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to\u202ftemporarily\u202flose communication with the crew as\u202fthe\u202fOrion\u202fspacecraft\u202fpasses behind the Moon.\u202f<\/p>\n 6:45\u00a0p.m.: During \u201cEarthset,\u201d\u00a0Earth\u00a0will glide behind the Moon from\u00a0Orion\u2019s\u00a0perspective.<\/p>\n 7:02\u00a0p.m.: Orion\u00a0reaches its\u00a0closest approach to the Moon at 4,070\u00a0miles above the surface.<\/p>\n 7:07 p.m.:\u00a0Crew reach their maximum distance from Earth during the mission.<\/p>\n 7:25\u00a0p.m.: \u201cEarthrise\u201d marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7:25 p.m.:\u202fNASA\u2019s Mission Control Center should re\u00a0-acquire\u202fcommunication with the astronauts.\u202f\u202f<\/p>\n 8:35-9:32\u00a0p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will\u00a0pass\u00a0behind the Moon from the\u00a0crew\u2019s\u00a0perspective.<\/p>\n 9:20\u00a0p.m.:\u00a0Lunar observations\u00a0conclude.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuesday, April 7<\/p>\n 1:25 p.m.: Orion exits the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.<\/p>\n Watch\u00a0live coverage of\u00a0the\u00a0Artemis II\u00a0lunar\u00a0flyby on\u202fNASA+<\/a>,\u202fAmazon Prime<\/a>,\u00a0Apple TV<\/a>,\u00a0Hulu<\/a>,\u00a0Netflix<\/a>,\u00a0HBO\u00a0Max<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Roku<\/a>\u00a0starting at\u00a01 p.m.,\u00a0alongside the agency\u2019s\u202f24\/7 coverage on its\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u202fchannel. Learn how to\u202fstream NASA content<\/a>\u202fthrough a variety of online platforms, including social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n During\u00a0the flyby, the spacecraft will break the record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by any human mission, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in April 1970 during its emergency return to Earth. The spacecraft is expected to break the record at\u00a01:56 p.m.\u00a0and will reach its maximum distance at\u00a07:07 p.m.,\u00a0a total of 252,760 miles from Earth; Apollo 13 reached 248,655 miles\u00a0from Earth.<\/p>\n When Orion passes behind the Moon, the mission will enter a planned communications blackout of about 40 minutes as the lunar surface blocks the radio signals needed for the Deep Space Network to connect with the spacecraft. Similar blackouts occurred during the Artemis I and Apollo missions and are expected with an Earth-based communications infrastructure. Once Orion reemerges, the\u00a0network\u00a0will quickly reacquire its signal and restore contact with mission control.<\/p>\n View the latest imagery from the Artemis II mission on\u00a0our\u00a0Artemis II Multimedia Resource Page<\/a>. Please follow @NASAArtemis on\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for real-time updates. Live\u00a0mission\u00a0coverage is available on\u00a0NASA\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n April 5, 2026 5:46PM<\/p>\n More from Missions![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-jsc2025e005915-portrait-300x300.jpg\"\/)
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