Quote:
This feed will provide continuous coverage of Artemis II mission activities with live commentary, beginning with tanking of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and concluding with the recovery of the Orion Integrity spacecraft after splashdown. Live coverage of Artemis II's launch and lunar flyby, as well as daily mission briefings, will also stream on this feed. These events will additionally be carried as standalone streams on NASA's YouTube channel and elsewhere. Four astronauts — three from NASA and one from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) — make up the Artemis II crew: - NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander - NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot - NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist - Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist After launching into space atop SLS, the crew will journey around the Moon and back in their Orion spacecraft on an approximately 10-day mission. Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test of SLS and Orion, testing the technologies we'll need for long-term lunar exploration and human missions to Mars.
______________________________________________________________
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nasa-answers-your-most-pressing-artemis-ii-questions/
Quote:
What can we expect to see during lunar flyby?
All times are subject to change.
Here’s a rough schedule of activities:
- Live coverage begins at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 6, and continues through 9:45 p.m.
-
1:30 p.m.: NASA hosts a conversation between the crew and the science officer in NASA’s Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, to go over the objectives and timeline for the flyby.
- Because the Sun’s angle on the Moon shifts by about one degree every two hours, the crew could not know the exact lighting conditions to expect on the lunar surface until after launch. This briefing provides one final opportunity to review details before the flyby begins.
-
1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II crew is expected surpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.
- The Apollo 13 crew traveled 248,655 miles from Earth; Artemis II will reach a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth, surpassing the record by about 4,105 miles. The crew is expected to make remarks on the milestone around 2:10 p.m.
-
2:45 p.m.: The seven-hour lunar observation period begins. Crew will see both the near and far sides of the Moon as the observation period begins.
- Because room at Orion’s windows is limited, the crew will divide into pairs, with two crew members observing for 55 to 85 minutes, while the other pair exercises or works on other tasks.
- 6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as Orion passes behind the Moon.
-
7:02 p.m.: Astronauts will make their closest approach to the Moon (4,070 miles), the reach its farthest point from Earth at 7:07 p.m.
- At this distance, the Moon will appear to the astronauts about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. They also may be the first humans to see some parts of the Moon’s far side with the unaided eye.
- 7:25 p.m.: NASA’s Mission Control Center should re-acquire communication with the astronauts.
- 8:35 p.m.: Orion enters period with Moon eclipsing the Sun and continues until 9:32 p.m.
- 9:20 p.m.: The flyby observation period wraps, and crew will begin transferring some of the imagery to the ground. NASA’s science team will review the images and observations overnight, and then discuss with crew the following day, while the experience is still fresh.

"NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft’s main cabin windows on Saturday, April 4, 2026, looking back at Earth, as the crew travel toward the Moon."
NASA