NASA Artemis II live updates: Astronauts swing around the moon in historic flyby

Astronaut Christina Koch shared some early observations just minutes into the lunar flyby.

"One report from the crew at the windows — we can actually see the moon and Earth at the same time right now," she said. "It's interesting, because the Earth looks way brighter. So the Earth itself seems to have a much higher albedo than the moon."

Albedo refers to a surface's brightness and is a measure of the amount of sunlight that a surface reflects away.

"We think this is independent of our eyes focusing, because of course, the Earth is much smaller than the moon in our view," Koch said. "Since we’re seeing both in the same view, we do think that this can be inferred as the Earth as a whole has a higher albedo."

As the Artemis II astronauts swing around the moon, they are discussing their views of various craters and landmarks on the lunar surface. The astronauts' descriptions use some scientific terminology — here are some key definitions:

"Albedo" refers to the reflectivity of a surface. Something with high albedo on the moon appears brighter, while something with low albedo appears darker, or more black.

"Ejecta" refers to debris left on the lunar surface. The moon has patterns of ejecta that formed when asteroids struck the lunar surface and then ejected material onto the surface.

"Mare" is a reference to large plains of basaltic rock that were formed by lava flows from volcanic activity on the moon.

The Artemis II astronauts are beginning to take science observations now, kicking off their moon flyby.

"We have two folks at the window deep in discussion, talking about all of the awesome features that they’re seeing," astronaut Christina Koch relayed to Mission Control in Houston.

Koch then marveled at the size of Hertzsprung basin, on the moon’s far side, comparing it to the Orientale basin, a 3.8 billion-year-old crater that formed when a large object smashed into the moon’s surface. 

"We’re really excited about this target that’s kind of new to us," Koch said.

The crew members will spend roughly the next seven hours gathering observations and capturing photos of the lunar surface.

Commander Reid Wiseman shared a description of his view, with the moon visible out of one window of the Orion spacecraft and the Earth out of another.

"The moon is about three or four times the size of the Earth, and it is almost full, and the Earth is just a small crescent out there. It's magnificent. I got a picture of it with the wide lens, such majestic view out here," Wiseman said.

Back on Earth, Jenni Gibbons, a Canadian astronaut communicating with the crew from Mission Control, radioed her reply with a reference to the film "Project Hail Mary," which is based on the novel by Andy Weir.

"Amaze. Amaze. Amaze," Gibbons said.

As the astronauts swing around the moon, they will be the first people to see parts of the lunar far side with human eyes.

The moon's far side is not visible from Earth because that part of the moon permanently faces away from our planet. Even the Apollo astronauts couldn’t view much of the moon’s far side because of the paths and timing of their flights.

During their closest approach to the moon, when the Orion capsule will fly about 4,070 miles away from the moon’s surface, around 21% of the moon's far side should be illuminated and visible to the astronauts, according to Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead.

The astronauts' official flyby observation period begins at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen told mission controllers that the Artemis II crew wanted to honor their mission by naming two craters on the moon.

The astronauts proposed naming one crater after their Orion capsule, which carries the name Integrity. The newly named crater can be found between the moon's Orientale basin and the Ohm impact crater.

"If you were to look at Orientale on the far side and then draw a line straight up to Ohm on the far side, relatively in the middle is an unnamed crater, and we would like to suggest it be called Integrity," Hansen said.

In this view of the moon captured today, the hemisphere we see from Earth is visible on the right. The large crater at lower left is Orientale basin.  NASA

Next, Hansen read a poignant dedication to commander Reid Wiseman's wife, Carroll, who died in 2020.

"There’s a feature in a really neat place on the moon, and it is on the near side-far side boundary," Hansen said. "In fact, it’s just on the near side of that boundary, and so at certain times of the moon transits around Earth, we will be able to see this from Earth."

Hansen's voice broke as he described this "bright spot on the moon," which the crew requested be named Carroll. Wiseman and Koch could be seen wiping away tears. At the end of the message, the crew members all embraced as Mission Control radioed confirmation of the two newly named lunar craters.

The families of Artemis II crew members are on site at Mission Control in Houston, and NASA's livestream caught a sweet moment between commander Reid Wiseman and his children.

"We have Reid’s family in the viewing gallery. You’re welcome to say hello," said Jenni Gibbons, a Canadian astronaut who is communicating with the crew from Mission Control.

"That is awesome to hear. Thanks, Jenni, and hello to Ellie and Katie. I don’t know who else is in there, but it’s great to know that you’re in Mission Control right now following along," Wiseman said, referring to his two daughters. "We're having a blast up here, and the view of the moon is absolutely amazing."

Gibbons relayed Wiseman's family's response.

"I’m seeing a lot of hearts come out of the viewing gallery and even more smiles," she said.

Wiseman gestured with his hands, making a heart shape and pointing to a bracelet around his wrist.

"Copy heart, copy bracelet," Gibbons said.

The Artemis II astronauts are now farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled.

At approximately 1:57 p.m. ET, the crew members broke the record of 248,655 miles from Earth set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in April 1970 during their emergency return to Earth.

“On April 15, 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission, three explorers set the record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from our home planet,” capsule communicator Jenni Gibbons radioed to the crew from Mission Control. “At that time, over 55 years ago, Lovell, Swigert and Haise flew 248,655 statute miles away from Earth. Today, for all humanity, you’re pushing beyond that frontier.”

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen sent a special message in response:

"As we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth, we do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration," Hansen said. "We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold dear, but we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived."

The Artemis II crew will reach their maximum distance from Earth, an estimated 252,760 miles, around 7:07 p.m. ET.

Artemis II crew breaks record for farthest humans have traveled beyond Earth

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The astronauts had a conference just now with Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead, to discuss technical details of the upcoming flyby and science goals for the day.

"I did just want to start with a thank-you on behalf of lunar science team and the entire lunar and planetary science community, of which you are absolutely a part, for what you’ve already done in this mission and what you’re going to do today to inspire the next generation of scientists," Young radioed to the crew. "I have to say, 'moon joy' is the new term that’s already become our team’s new motto, so thanks for that."

Young then discussed camera setups in Orion's windows and talked about different targets that the astronauts will look for on the moon's surface. She reminded the crew that the absence of features or colors on the lunar surface can also make for valuable science observations.

"Last reminder is, around earthset and earthrise, when you’re viewing us back here at home, you’ll be looking directly at Asia, Africa and Oceania," Young said. "So I’m sure people watching from those places here on Earth will want to give you all a wave as you take their picture."

The astronauts then each signed off with their early thoughts of the moon so far.

"It is awesome to see this side of the moon," Christina Koch said. "You guys made us excited for this day, and we couldn’t appreciate it any more. We are ready to hopefully deliver on all the awesome training you guys have provided."

As the astronauts fly by the moon, they'll attempt to photograph key targets for NASA's science teams on the ground.

There's no shortage of interesting features on the moon, so NASA had to narrow down a list.

"We had a plan coming in where we basically made a list of all the available targets during the April launch window," Juliane Gross, the Artemis II sample curation lead, said during NASA's livestream.

What would be visible ultimately depended on the exact time of launch.

"Once we launched, we then were able to cut down on that list and prioritize our targets," Gross said.

Gross said the astronauts will be able to see the Aristarchus Plateau, one of the youngest craters on the moon, as well as Grimaldi crater and the Oceano Procellarum, a lunar plain that might have been formed by an asteroid impact.

Astronaut Christina Koch talked about her personal connection to the iconic "Earthrise" photo taken during the Apollo 8 mission. The photo, taken by Bill Anders, shows Earth peeking out beyond the lunar surface as the Apollo 8 crew circled the moon.

Taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth beyond the moon's surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the moon on Dec. 24, 1968. Bill Anders / NASA

That photo "has been instrumental both to our crew and our ethos and values," Koch said. "But also just personally to myself, I had the photo up in my room as a kid, and it was part of what inspired me to keep working hard to achieve things I dreamed about."

Koch said she and her crew members combed through the Apollo 8 cockpit recording from the mission and found there was a "hubbub" within the capsule around when the photo was taken.

"I wouldn't say fighting over cameras, but definitely everyone wanted to capture the shot," she said of the recordings, adding that the Artemis II crew is happy to carry on that legacy, as they are often all up against the windows and looking for cameras, too.

NASA has said the Artemis II crew will attempt to re-create the iconic "Earthrise" photo. After they swing behind the moon, Earth will come back into view at 7:25 p.m. ET.

The four astronauts exchanged warm greetings with Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as part of their daily planning conference.

"Good morning, Houston, from inside Integrity, 215,049 miles away from Earth, and 12,712 miles from the moon," pilot Victor Glover said, referring to the name "Integrity" that the crew gave their Orion capsule.

Canadian astronaut Jenni Gibbons is the person talking to the astronauts today from inside Mission Control.

"Good morning, Integrity, and good morning, moon," Gibbons said. "Our room is buzzing with moon joy today, and I imagine yours is too."

Flying along with the Artemis II astronauts is a silk patch that was part of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.

"We have a pretty neat emblem up here,” pilot Victor Glover said. “We have a patch that was flown on the Apollo 8 mission, and that patch is here on the Artemis II mission as well, and that was sent to us by the Lovell family, by Jim Lovell's son.”

Lovell, a member of the crews of Apollo 8 and 13, died last year but recorded a message for the Artemis II astronauts before his death. The crew heard the message as part of their wake-up this morning.

"Welcome to my old neighborhood! ... I’m proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon and lay the groundwork for missions to Mars," Lovell said in the message. "It’s a historic day, and I know how busy you’ll be. But don’t forget to enjoy the view."

The astronauts are snapping photos of the moon using two Nikon D5 cameras and a Nikon Z9 camera, NASA officials said.

Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead, said the 80 to 400 millimeter zoom lenses on the D5 cameras will be used for the bulk of the flyby. A 14 to 24 millimeter lens will be used later this evening when the crew sees a solar eclipse.

The Z9 camera will be used to take photos of the sun's outermost atmosphere, known as the corona, Young said.

While the astronauts circle the moon, they will experience a solar eclipse from space. The sun will move behind the moon, blocking its light from the perspective of the Orion capsule. The eclipse will last for almost an hour toward the end of the Artemis II lunar flyby.

During that time, the moon will appear mostly dark, which will give the astronauts a chance to look for flashes of light from rocky objects smacking into the moon or to observe planets and other celestial bodies.

In anticipation of the eclipse, the crew brought special eclipse viewing glasses — the kind many people likely remember from the 2024 total solar eclipse that crossed the U.S. — on the mission.

Today is Day 6 of the 10-day Artemis II moon mission. See the full path of the Orion spacecraft below:

The Artemis II astronauts woke up this morning to the song "Good Morning" by Mandisa, featuring TobyMac.

They were also treated to a special pretaped message from former NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who flew on the Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 missions. Lovell died in 2025 at age 97 but recorded the message before that.

"Welcome to my old neighborhood," Lovell said. "When Frank Borman, Bill Anders and I orbited the moon on Apollo 8, we got humanity's first up-close look at the moon and got a view of the home planet that inspired and united people around the world. I'm proud to pass that torch on to you as you swing around the moon."

"It's a historic day, and I know how busy you'll be," Lovell added, "but don't forget to enjoy the view."

In response, commander Reid Wiseman radioed to mission controllers that it was an "awesome message."

"Very cool to hear him welcome us to the neighborhood," he said.

Wiseman, Koch, Glover and Hansen will try to take as many photos and gather as many observations as they can from a list of 30 science targets.

Kelsey Young, the Artemis II lunar science lead, said Sunday that the crew will work in pairs throughout the flyby, beginning with Wiseman and Hansen. One astronaut will be tasked with taking photos while the other will provide naked-eye descriptions of features on the lunar surface. After about an hour, the pairs will switch to keep them all refreshed and focused during the seven-hour event, Young said.

Among the various targets, the astronauts will focus on the Orientale basin, a 3.8 billion-year-old crater that formed when a large object smashed into the moon’s surface. The nearly 600-mile-wide basin, which stretches across the moon’s near and far sides, still has distinct geological features from the ancient collision, according to NASA.

The crew will also study the Hertzsprung basin on the moon’s far side, northwest of Orientale. Unlike the more pristine Orientale basin, features in this 400-mile-wide crater have been degraded by subsequent lunar impacts, NASA said. Observing both targets will give the crew and scientists on Earth a chance to compare how the moon’s topography changes over time.

While approaching the moon over the weekend, the Artemis II astronauts shared some stunning images of it out the windows of their Orion spacecraft.

About an hour after entering the lunar sphere of influence, where the moon's gravity has a stronger pull than Earth's, Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch said, "We are now falling to the moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!"  NASA

A view of the near side of the moon, the side we always see from Earth, taken from the Orion spacecraft, with some of the far side visible on the left edge.  NASA

Earlier in the mission, the astronauts also captured photos of our home planet. In the image below, captured early in the mission, Earth can be seen almost peeking through the window of the Orion capsule, greeting the crew members.

A view of Earth taken by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows on April 2. Reid Wiseman / NASA

On Sunday, the astronauts beamed back a photo showing “one last look at Earth before we reach the moon.” The picture shows our planet as a distant crescent framed by the Orion spacecraft’s window.

This view of the Earth was captured on Sunday, the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, from inside the Orion spacecraft.  NASA

NASA's live coverage of the lunar flyby will begin at 1 p.m. ET on NASA+.

The event will also be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max and Roku starting at 1 p.m. ET, according to NASA. The agency's 24/7 coverage will also continue on YouTube.

During their lunar flyby, Wiseman, Koch, Glover and Hansen will conduct observations of the moon and capture photos for about seven hours, starting at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Here's a rundown of key moments:

1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II astronauts are expected to surpass the distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.

2:45 p.m.: Lunar observations begin. 

6:44 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the moon.

6:45 p.m.: During “Earthset,” Earth will glide behind the moon from Orion’s perspective.

7:02 p.m.: Orion will reach its closest approach to the moon, flying about 4,070 miles above the surface.

7:07 p.m.: The astronauts will reach their maximum distance from Earth.

7:25 p.m.: The crew will experience “Earthrise,” when Earth comes back into view on the opposite edge of the moon. 

7:25 p.m.: Mission controllers should reacquire communication with the astronauts.

8:35-9:32 p.m.: The Artemis II astronauts will experience a solar eclipse from space. During the eclipse, the sun will pass behind the moon from the crew’s perspective.

9:20 p.m.: Lunar observations conclude.

Space fans, rejoice! The most anticipated moment of the Artemis II mission has arrived.

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen are hours away from the start of their long-awaited lunar flyby. The astronauts are set to swing around the moon today and will spend nearly seven hours photographing and observing specific sites on the lunar surface.

The astronauts will become the first humans to see parts of the moon's far side — the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth — with their own eyes.

Follow along here for all the action.