How to Track the Artemis II Mission
On the second day of their 10-day mission, the four astronauts aboard the Artemis II Orion spacecraft begin their journey to the Moon. The mission, which took off last night, marks the first time humans have visited the satellite in more than 50 years. Although the launch was a success, the crew encountered some technical problems shortly afterward, including a problem with the fan in their onboard toilet, the first of its kind on a manned mission.
With that resolved, they complete two elliptical orbits of Earth before preparing for a translunar injection burn this evening, shortly after 8 p.m. EDT. If they get the green light from NASA, they will be on a trajectory to circle the Moon on the sixth day and return to Earth. (Otherwise, they will return to Earth.)
If you want to follow this historical mission, there are several options available, but first, here’s a rough timeline of the rest of the mission. On the fourth day (April 4), the Orion spacecraft will be halfway between Earth and the Moon and will send back images of both. On the fifth day (April 5), the craft will pass into lunar space, where the Moon’s gravity is stronger than that of the Earth. There, the crew will conduct emergency drills, conduct spacesuit tests and may course correct with another burn.
Read more: “The violent birth of the Moon”
Day six is when things get really interesting. On April 6, the crew will make its closest approach to the Moon, about 5,000 miles above the surface and farther than any human being has ever traveled before. They will spend a few hours observing and taking images of the Moon, including the Eastern Mare on the far side of the Moon, a sight never before seen by the human eye. They will also witness a total solar eclipse and take images of comet C/2026 A1 as it heads toward the sun.
If you want to follow their progress, NASA’s Artemis Real-time Orbit (AROW) website lets you follow the mission and see views from any of the five cameras mounted on the Orion capsule, bandwidth permitting (there’s also an AROW app for your phone).
This stream provides live views of the Orion spacecraft (again, bandwidth permitting) and also allows you to listen to some discussions between the crew and mission control. During the fourth and sixth days of the mission, you will be able to see live views broadcast in 4K resolution via NASA’s laser O2O system. If you want more commentary and context, you can check out this official live mission coverage stream, which features a view from the control room and will also cover the Day 10 splashdown.
Now you have everything you need to become your own mission control center.
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Main image: NASA/Bill Ingalls
