The Artemis II crew concluded a historic seven-hour flyby of the far side of the moon on April 6, 2026. Here are the key moments of the lunar flyby:
Lunar observations begin (April 6, 2:45 p.m. EDT)
Lunar observations began on April 6, 2026, at 2:45 p.m. EDT, when the Artemis II crew was about 10,700 miles from the lunar surface. This marked the official beginning of the lunar flyby.
Artemis II crew witnesses Earthset (April 6, 6:41 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew witnessed an Earthset—the moment Earth dropped below the lunar horizon—on April 6, 2026, at 6:41 p.m. EDT as the Orion spacecraft traveled behind the moon.
Artemis II crew loses communication with NASA (April 6, 6:44 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew lost communication with NASA’s mission control on April 6, 2026, at 6:44 p.m. EDT as the Orion spacecraft passed behind the moon.
The expected 40-minute communication blackout occurred when the moon blocked the radio signal from NASA’s Deep Space Network on Earth, preventing contact with the crew.
Artemis II crew reaches closest approach to the moon (April 6, 7:00 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew reached their closest approach to the moon on April 6, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. EDT, flying about 4,067 miles above the lunar surface.
At that point, the spacecraft was traveling at about 60,863 miles per hour relative to Earth, but only 3,139 miles per hour relative to the moon.
Artemis II crew reaches maximum distance from Earth (April 6, 7:02 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth during the lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, at 7:02 p.m. EDT, setting a new record for human spaceflight.
Artemis II crew witnesses Earthrise (April 6, 7:22 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew witnessed an Earthrise on April 6, 2026, at 7:22 p.m. EDT as the Orion spacecraft emerged from behind the moon.
NASA restores communication with the Artemis II crew (April 6, 7:24 p.m. EDT)
NASA’s mission control restored communication with the Artemis II crew on April 6, 2026, at 7:24 p.m. EDT as the Orion spacecraft emerged from behind the moon.
Artemis II crew witnesses total solar eclipse (April 6, 8:35 p.m. EDT)
The Artemis II crew witnessed a nearly hour-long total solar eclipse beginning on April 6, 2026, at 8:35 p.m. EDT, as the spacecraft, the moon and the sun aligned.
As the sun disappeared behind the darkened moon, the crew used the opportunity to study the solar corona—the sun’s outermost atmosphere—glowing around the moon’s edge.
Lunar observations conclude (April 6, 9:35 p.m. EDT)
Lunar observations concluded on April 6, 2026, at 9:35 p.m. EDT, and the crew began their journey back to Earth.
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