Artemis II breaks record, conducts lunar flyby

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Orion spacecraft Integrity, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, successfully passed behind the Moon on Flight Day 6 of the Artemis II mission, losing communications with Earth for approximately 40 minutes while the crew observed spectacular, never-before-seen views of the lunar surface with human eyes.

The milestone moment also included the crew breaking the record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth.

The flyby marked a major achievement for the first crewed Artemis mission, which launched atop SLS from 39B on April 1, 2026.

During the roughly 40-minute communications blackout—caused by the Moon blocking the signal path to Earth’s Deep Space Network—the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth, surpassing the previous record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Prior to the closest approach, Orion coasted approximately 400,000 kilometers (about 248,500 miles) following the Trans-Lunar Injection burn on Flight Day 2.

Three planned trajectory correction burns were planned, but two were ultimately canceled due to the exceptional precision of the European Service Module’s initial insertion. A third, OTC-3, was conducted, allowing the spacecraft to enter the Moon’s sphere of influence on a near-perfect path roughly 185 kilometers (115 miles) above the lunar surface at its closest point.

The outbound journey was not without minor challenges. Toilet issues resurfaced during the coast, this time related to the plumbing vent line between the toilet and the vacuum of space. Mission Control suspected a clog from frozen waste and reoriented the spacecraft to expose the vent to sunlight, successfully thawing the blockage.

The crew temporarily relied on Collapsible Contingency Urinals (reusable, sealable containers that manage urine using capillary forces). Later, venting proceeded at a slower-than-normal rate, but the system was deemed usable for solid waste, with NASA instructing the crew to keep the waste tank approximately half-full as a precaution.

On Flight Day 3, the astronauts took a memorable selfie, floating to Orion’s windows and posing for cameras mounted on the service module’s solar arrays.
As the Moon grew larger in their view—appearing at times as large as a basketball held at arm’s length—the crew conducted extensive observations, photographing features from pole to pole along a more lofted trajectory than Apollo missions. This allowed them to see lunar regions never before witnessed directly by humans.

The crew entered the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence on Flight Day 5, where lunar gravity became the dominant force shaping their path.

The highlight came on April 6 as the crew stowed gear and prepared the windows for lunar sightseeing. They captured detailed photos and made naked-eye observations of the far side and illuminated features.

The day opened with a heartfelt recorded “Welcome to my old neighborhood” message, recorded in 2025 by late astronaut Jim Lovell, the pilot of Apollo 8.

Thanks to the April 1 launch date, an unexpected opportunity arose: from Orion’s unique vantage point between the Moon and Sun just after emerging from behind the lunar far side, the crew directly observed a solar eclipse.

They viewed the Sun’s corona and studied how solar wind and radiation electrostatically charge and loft ultra-fine lunar regolith into short hops or a hazy exosphere on the airless surface.

The observations provided valuable data on lunar dust transport and surface processes, with the crew reporting “absolutely spectacular” views of features such as the Orientale basin.

To commemorate the Artemis II mission, the astronauts proposed renaming certain features on the Moon to honor the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity. However, the most touching naming was for Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.

As Orion begins its return coast toward Earth, up to three additional trajectory correction burns remain available if needed.

Due to the bandwidth limitations, the live views did not provide the stunning views eloquently described by the crew during the events. However, an array of stunning footage has been taken by the crew.

This will be sent down to Earth when the communications links allow, and a sneak preview could be seen during the live views from inside the spacecraft.

The images on screen appear to include an incredible “Earth rise” that NASA will publish when the imagery arrives on the ground.

A highlight for the crew will be a ship-to-ship call with the International Space Station, scheduled for Tuesday evening UTC—the first such conversation since the Apollo era, now possible with a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit.

The mission is expected to conclude in about nine days and one hour from launch.

The European Service Module will separate from the crew module, followed by a trajectory raise burn. Orion will then perform a high-speed atmospheric entry at over 38,000 km/h (24,000 mph), deploying parachutes in stages for a splashdown in the ocean.

The crew is slated to be recovered aboard a U.S. Navy ship shortly thereafter.

(Lead Image via NASA. Will be updated when NASA publishes the crew photos).

The post Artemis II breaks record, conducts lunar flyby appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.



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