Artemis II Approaches First Crewed Moon Flyby Since 1972

NASA’s Artemis II mission is nearing a historic lunar flyby, marking humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon since 1972.

NASA’s Artemis II mission entered a major new phase on Monday as the Orion spacecraft crossed into the Moon’s gravitational sphere of influence, meaning lunar gravity is now stronger than Earth’s pull on the capsule. The milestone marks a crucial step in humanity’s first crewed journey around the Moon in more than 50 years and brings the mission closer to its most anticipated maneuver, the lunar flyby.

NASA said Orion was about 346,000 kilometres from Earth and roughly 104,000 kilometres from the Moon as the crew continued its deep-space approach. Mission updates showed the spacecraft entered lunar space early Monday, setting the stage for a close pass behind the Moon later in the day as astronauts prepare to swing around the far side and begin their return toward Earth.

The four astronauts also tested their Orion Crew Survival System suits on flight day five to ensure they could quickly wear and secure them in an emergency. NASA said the exercise was part of routine mission readiness checks ahead of the most technically sensitive part of the journey, when the crew must reconfigure the cabin and prepare for lunar observation and flyby operations.

The mission is now preparing for a gravity-assisted lunar slingshot, a maneuver that uses the Moon’s gravity to bend Orion’s path and send it back toward Earth without requiring large amounts of fuel. NASA’s flight timeline shows the spacecraft is expected to pass about 6,400 kilometres above the lunar surface during closest approach, before disappearing briefly behind the Moon and re-emerging on its homeward track.

NASA said Artemis II is also set to push humans farther from Earth than ever before, surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record during Monday’s flyby. The agency has scheduled live coverage of the event, including crew remarks, lunar observations and mission updates, as Orion loops around the Moon in what is being seen as a defining moment for the Artemis programme.

Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era and the first human mission to travel around the Moon since 1972. The roughly 10-day flight is designed to test Orion’s life-support, navigation, communications and deep-space performance before future Artemis missions attempt a crewed lunar landing and longer-term Moon operations.

Crossing into the Moon’s gravitational reach is more than a symbolic achievement; it is one of the mission’s most important operational milestones. If the flyby proceeds as planned, Artemis II will bring NASA a major step closer to returning humans to the lunar surface and laying the groundwork for future missions deeper into space.

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