Artemis II Crew Begins Final Run-Up To Lunar Slingshot, NASA To Livestream Record Moon Flyby

Last Updated:April 06, 2026, 10:51 IST

Artemis II has entered the final phase of its historic lunar slingshot, with the Moon’s gravity now pulling the Orion spacecraft as astronauts prepare to travel farther from Earth.

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have entered the final run-up to a historic lunar slingshot, with the Orion spacecraft reaching a critical tipping point where the Moon’s gravity now exerts a stronger pull than Earth’s.

The milestone marks the beginning of the mission’s most anticipated phase, a high-speed loop around the Moon that will take humans farther from Earth than ever before.

For the first time in more than half a century, astronauts are set to fly around the Moon, reviving human deep-space exploration last seen during NASA’s Apollo programme between 1968 and 1972.

The four-member crew, three Americans and one Canadian, will not land on the lunar surface but will gather crucial operational and scientific data that will inform future missions aimed at establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon.

NASA LIVESTREAM TO CAPTURE HISTORIC MOMENT

According to AFP, the flyby is expected to last around seven hours, beginning Monday at approximately 2.45 pm, eastern Time (1845 GMT) and ending around 9.20 pm (0120 GMT).

NASA will broadcast the flyby live on its website as well as on YouTube, Amazon and Netflix, featuring commentary from astronauts onboard the Orion spacecraft and experts at Mission Control in Houston, Texas.

Due to the unprecedented distance between Earth and the spacecraft, NASA has cautioned that the livestream video quality may fluctuate at times.

The mission marks the first crewed journey to the Moon in over five decades and represents a major step in NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade.

LUNAR GRAVITY TAKES OVER TRAJECTORY

AFP reported that the Orion capsule has now reached a point where the Moon’s gravitational influence has overtaken Earth’s, effectively pulling the spacecraft into a slingshot trajectory around the Moon.

The manoeuvre allows the spacecraft to loop around the Moon without entering orbit, using gravitational forces to redirect the capsule back toward Earth in a fuel-efficient path.

The report mentioned that Artemis II is following a figure-eight trajectory similar to that used during the Apollo 13 mission, which relied on a free-return path to safely bring astronauts back to Earth after an onboard emergency.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will document lunar terrain and spacecraft performance as Orion approaches the Moon.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman was quoted as saying that the data collected will be “pretty paramount to set up for subsequent missions like Artemis 3 in 2027 and, of course, the lunar landing itself on Artemis 4 in 2028," AFP reported, citing a CNN interview.

CREW SET TO TRAVEL FARTHER THAN ANY HUMAN BEFORE

According to the report, Artemis II astronauts are expected to break the distance record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.

The spacecraft is projected to reach approximately 252,757 miles (406,772 kilometres) from Earth, about 4,102 miles (6,600 kilometres) farther than the previous record.

Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell and crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert had reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometres) during their emergency mission.

Christina Koch said the milestone is meaningful because it helps people understand the scale of human exploration.

HISTORIC FIRSTS IN LUNAR EXPLORATION

The Artemis II mission represents several milestones in representation in spaceflight.

Christina Koch will become the first woman to travel around the Moon, Victor Glover the first person of colour, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-American astronaut to complete the journey.

Until now, only Apollo-era astronauts, all white American men, had travelled to the Moon between 1968 and 1972.

The crew, according to the report, has undergone years of preparation to accurately observe and describe geological features visible during the flyby, contributing to scientific understanding of the Moon’s composition and evolution.

FAR SIDE OF THE MOON AND GEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS

During the flyby, the astronauts will observe regions of the Moon never seen directly by human eyes.

AFP reported that images captured by the crew already show the Orientale Basin, a massive crater formation sometimes described as the Moon’s “Grand Canyon."

“This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes," NASA said, according to AFP.

Koch described the formation as “very distinctive," noting that “no human eyes previously had seen this crater until today."

According to the Associated Press, astronauts have been trained using lunar geography flashcards to help identify surface features and relay observations to scientists on Earth.

At their closest approach, the spacecraft will pass approximately 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometres) above the lunar surface, much farther than Apollo missions, which flew within about 70 miles (110 kilometres).

From this distance, the Moon is expected to appear “about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length," Noah Petro, head of NASA’s planetary geology lab, told AFP.

RADIO BLACKOUT DURING FAR-SIDE PASS

Communication between Orion and Mission Control will temporarily cease for approximately 40 minutes as the spacecraft passes behind the Moon.

“It’ll be exciting, you know, in a slightly scary way, when they go behind the moon," Derek Buzasi, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, told AFP.

Recalling earlier lunar missions, Buzasi added that during the Apollo era, “we all held our breath a little bit."

NASA’s Deep Space Network antennas in California, Spain and Australia will be unable to maintain direct contact with the spacecraft during this period.

SOLAR ECLIPSE AND ‘EARTHRISE’ VIEW

Toward the end of the flyby, astronauts are expected to witness a rare solar eclipse, when the Moon aligns perfectly between the spacecraft and the Sun.

The event will allow astronauts to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, known as the corona, visible as a glowing halo.

Astronauts will also monitor possible flashes of light caused by meteorites striking the Moon’s surface.

The crew may also be able to recreate the iconic “Earthrise" photograph captured during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, showing Earth appearing above the Moon’s horizon.

SPACECRAFT TESTS AND MINOR TECHNICAL ISSUE

Astronauts will also test the Orion Crew Survival System spacesuits, which can provide breathable air for up to six days in emergencies.

Meanwhile, AP reported that engineers are working to resolve a minor malfunction in the spacecraft’s toilet system, suspected to be caused by ice blocking part of the line.

Mission officials said astronauts are trained to manage such situations, and the issue does not pose a major risk.

STEP TOWARD FUTURE LUNAR BASE

NASA considers Artemis II a key milestone toward establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, including future missions involving landers, habitats, rovers and drones.

“We’ll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force," flight director Judd Frieling said, according to AP.

The mission is expected to conclude with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego on April 10, completing a journey of roughly 10 days.

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