Artemis II Crew Reaches Lunar Gravity, Begins Historic Moon Flyby Today

The Artemis II crew woke up Day Five of their mission to a message from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke, who walked on the moon in 1972. "John Young and I landed on the moon in 1972 in the lunar module we named Orion," Duke told the crew. "I'm glad to see a different kind of Orion helping return humans to the moon."

The greeting came at a fitting moment. The Orion capsule had just crossed into the lunar sphere of influence, the point where the moon's gravitational pull overtakes Earth's. The crew will use that pull to slingshot the spacecraft around the moon and back toward home.

Today, Day Six, marks the mission's most anticipated moment. Orion will make its closest approach to the moon and simultaneously reach its maximum distance from Earth, carrying the four astronauts deeper into space than any humans have ever traveled. The crew will spend the flyby observing and photographing the lunar surface, including regions that have never been seen directly by human eyes.

After the flyby, Orion will begin the long arc back to Earth.