Artemis II’s four-person crew is already riding a new lunar milestone after launching April 1 on what NASA describes as the first trip to the moon since 1972. Now, on Monday, the mission’s focus shifts to a specific record and a set of observations planned for its passage around the moon. NASA says the astronauts’ lunar flyby is designed not only to push farther than Apollo 13, but also to gather close-up views of the moon’s far side as Orion heads onward and then back toward Earth.
The distance target points to the Apollo 13 mission, when its crew used a free-return trajectory after an oxygen tank rupture disrupted their original plan to land on the moon in 1970. Apollo 13’s astronauts reached a maximum distance of 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth before turning back toward home. Artemis II follows a figure-eight path that neither orbits the moon nor lands on it, and NASA’s plan calls for the crew’s distance from Earth to surpass Apollo 13’s by more than 4,100 miles (6,600 kilometers).
NASA flight director Judd Frieling described the intent for what the crew can do during the flyby. “We’ll get eyes on the moon, kind of map it out and then continue to go back in force,” Frieling said, tying the mission’s imaging goals to an eventual long-term lunar presence. The overarching program goal, according to the plan discussed around the mission, is a moon base equipped with landers, rovers, drones and habitats.
During the flyby, the four astronauts will split into pairs to capture views from their windows, swapping turns to cover more terrain as the spacecraft approaches closest approach. NASA said they will come within 4,070 miles (6,550 kilometers) of the moon at closest approach. Because the mission launched April 1, NASA expects the far side to be less illuminated than it would be on other dates, but the crew still plans to identify distinct features.
Kelsey Young, a NASA geologist, said the crew will see “definite chunks of the far side that have never been seen” by humans, including a good portion of the Orientale Basin. Young also said the crew practiced for many months using visualizations and “getting their eyes on the real thing” is what she expects to bring the moon “a little closer to home on Monday.” She added that the astronauts will call down their observations while they photograph the moon’s gray, pockmarked surface using a suite of professional-quality cameras, along with an iPhone for additional informal photo-taking.
Artemis II’s timeline includes another rare viewing opportunity: a total solar eclipse that will be visible only from the Orion capsule, not from Earth. NASA said the eclipse occurs as the moon blocks the sun and exposes the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere. Young said the crew will look for any unusual solar activity during the eclipse and use their “unique vantage point” to describe coronal features, with all four astronauts packing eclipse glasses for eye protection.
Mission operations also include a communications disruption tied to the moon’s geometry. Orion will be out of contact with Mission Control for nearly an hour when it passes behind the moon, similar to communication gaps that occurred during the Apollo moon missions. NASA plans to rely on its Deep Space Network for communication, but the antennas in California, Spain and Australia will not have a direct line of sight when Orion disappears behind the moon for approximately 40 minutes.
After the flyby, Artemis II will continue homeward over the following days. NASA said it will take four days to return to Earth, with Orion aiming for a splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego on April 10, nine days after the Florida launch. During the return, the astronauts will also link up by radio with the crew of the orbiting International Space Station, marking the first time a moon crew has had colleagues in space at the same time; the planned exchange includes both Christina Koch aboard Orion and Jessica Meir aboard the station.