Artemis II is humanity’s first flight to the moon since 1972, when\u00a0NASA’s\u00a0Apollo 17 landed on the lunar surface.<\/p>\n
The 10-day journey is being piloted by three Americans and one Canadian, who have been tasked with photographing the\u00a0mysterious lunar far side.<\/p>\n
As of midday on Monday, the astronauts were 226,000 miles away from Earth and only 50,000 miles away from the moon, according to NASA’s online dashboard.<\/p>\n
They are set to reach their destination on Tuesday morning, with their lunar observation period to begin at about 7am (NZST).<\/p>\n
Here’s how to\u00a0watch the historic lunar flyby\u00a0and the key times you need to know.<\/p>\n
Tuesday<\/p>\n
6:45am –\u00a0Lunar observation period set to begin, with NASA to start the livestream at 5am.<\/p>\n
10:47am –\u00a0NASA are expecting a loss of communications that could last up to 40 minutes. During this time at the crew is expected to reach their maximum distance from Earth.<\/p>\n
12:35pm –\u00a0The crew to witness the moon eclipsing the sun.<\/p>\n
1:20pm –\u00a0Lunar observation period and flyby to conclude.<\/p>\n
2:50pm –\u00a0The crew will appear live to share in detail what they’ve just witnessed.<\/p>\n
Wednesday<\/p>\n
5:28am –\u00a0The crew will leave the lunar sphere of influence – leaving the Moon behind.<\/p>\n
6:40am –\u00a0The Artemis II crew to debrief with scientists and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
1:03pm –\u00a0Return trajectory correction-1 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.<\/p>\n
Thursday<\/p>\n
11:20am –\u00a0A live broadcast from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to begin, where they will receive and share video or data from Artemis II.<\/p>\n
Friday<\/p>\n
10:10am –\u00a0In orbit news conference with Artemis II crew.<\/p>\n
2:53pm –\u00a0Return trajectory correction-2 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.<\/p>\n
Saturday<\/p>\n
5:50am –\u00a0Cabin configuration for re-entry set to begin.<\/p>\n
6:53am –\u00a0Return trajectory correction-3 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.<\/p>\n
11:33am –\u00a0Crew module and service module separates.<\/p>\n
12:07pm –\u00a0The ship is set to splashdown into the Pacific Ocean, with NASA and US Department of War personnel expected to assist the crew.<\/p>\n
2:30pm –\u00a0Final news conference at NASA in Johnson, Texas.<\/p>\n
How to watch<\/p>\n
NASA is covering the flyby in real time on\u00a0Youtube<\/a>.<\/p>\n