On the sixth day of its Artemis II mission is approaching the far side of the Moon. Meanwhile, this historic journey was full of fascinating and fascinating stories, from the photos and videos that the four crew members shared with the world, to the inevitable, unforeseen events, including a risky situation in the toilet.
A few hours before the crew begins its flyover of the Moon, here’s how things are going for Artemis II.
When will they reach the far side of the Moon?
While Artemis II won’t actually land on the moon (that won’t happen until Artemis IV), that doesn’t make the mission any less fascinating. When the Artemis II astronauts complete their flight over the dim side of the Moon, they will receive the historic distinction of being the humans who have reached the furthest from Earth.
They will also test all systems needed for future lunar missions, checking life support systems, navigation, space suits, communications and other human operations in deep space.
But when will they reach this distant point? First, on Sunday evening, the Orion capsule reached the Moon’s so-called “sphere of influence.” This is the point at which the Moon’s gravitational force is greater than the Earth’s.
Orion is currently orbiting the Moon. Once the capsule reaches the dim side of the Moon, approximately 7,000 kilometers from the surface, communication with Earth will be interrupted. For six hours they will be able to observe the far side of the Moon, something no human has ever seen with their own eyes – not even the Apollo astronauts, because this area of the Moon was always too dim or arduous to access for them.
The six-hour flyby of the dim side of the Moon is expected to begin on Monday, April 6 at 2:45 p.m. EDT and 7:45 p.m. London time.
The capsule will then exploit the Moon’s gravity to return to Earth. Splashdown, when the astronauts reach Earth, is scheduled for April 10 in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, on day 10 of the mission.
Remember that you can follow the live broadcast of the Artemis II mission from NASA official channels.
What has happened so far?
Since the successful launch on April 1 from the Space Center, Kennedy, the Artemis II crew shared some spectacular photos, such as the photo in this post, which shows Mission Specialist Christina Koch looking down at Earth through one of Orion’s main cabin windows.
This amazing photo of Earth, taken on April 2, has gone viral on social media, echoing the eminent “Blue Marble” photo taken by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972.
A view of Earth taken by astronaut Reid Wiseman from the window of the Orion spacecraft after the completion of the lunar injection maneuver on April 2, 2026.Photo: Reid Wiseman/NASA/Getty Images