NASA's Artemis II crew readies for Monday's lunar flyby. Here's what you need to know

[Dulcinea]

(NPR) The crew of NASA's Artemis II will make its closest approach to the moon Monday afternoon after launching from Kennedy Space Center last week.

It marks a critical milestone of the agency's Orion space capsule, sending humans on a mission to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. As the capsule loops around the moon, the astronauts will reach farther into space than humans have ever ventured.

The Orion spacecraft is now in the lunar sphere of influence, meaning the moon's gravity has more pull on the vehicle than the Earth. At 1:46 p.m. ET, the crew will surpass the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans, which was set by the Apollo 13 mission at 248,655 statute miles from Earth. At 2:45 p.m., the crew will begin making observations of the surface of the moon during the flyby.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/06/nx-s1-5773187/nasa-artemis-ii-moon-lunar-flyby

[Judi Lynn]

1. Thank you, Dulcinea. Looking forward to the afternoon!

[nitpicked]

2. Link to Space.com updates

https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-6-2026

(snip)

Here's a full breakdown of what to expect today (all times in EDT):

1 p.m.: NASA lunar flyby coverage begins.
1:56 p.m.: Apollo 13 distance record broken
2:10 p.m.: Crew remarks about record
2:15 p.m.: Crew configures Orion for flyby
2:45 p.m.: Lunar observation period begins
6:47 p.m.: Loss of communications (estimated 40-min.)
7:02 p.m.: Closest approach to the moon
7:05 p.m.: Maximum distance from Earth
8:35 p.m.: Orion enters solar eclipse period
9:20 p.m.: Lunar observation period ends
9:32 p.m.: Solar eclipse period concludes
(snip)

[electric_blue68]

3. TY! Definitely excited for this.