NASA’s Artemis II crew reached a historic milestone on Sunday, April 5, 2026, as the Orion spacecraft provided its four astronauts with their first clear sightings of the lunar surface. The mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, is currently on course for a high-stakes flyby of the Moon’s far side scheduled for Monday. The images transmitted back to Earth mark the first time human eyes have seen the lunar landscape from such proximity in over five decades.
Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen reported that the spacecraft’s systems are performing well as they approach the lunar vicinity. Pilot Victor Glover noted during a scheduled downlink that while the Earth appeared increasingly small in the distance, the Moon was "definitely getting bigger" as the craft closed the gap. The crew is currently preparing for the most intense phase of their ten-day journey.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, speaking from Mission Control in Houston, praised the mission’s progress and credited the current administration’s national space policy for the rapid advancement of the Artemis program. President Donald Trump has highlighted the mission as a cornerstone of American leadership in deep space exploration. The administration remains focused on using these results as a precursor to establishing a permanent lunar base and eventual missions to Mars.
The crew is currently testing the Orion’s Environmental Control and Life Support System to ensure the spacecraft can sustain humans during long-duration voyages. Despite a minor, well-documented malfunction with the capsule’s waste management system, engineers in Houston confirmed that the crew remains in high spirits. The mission remains fully operational and is not at risk due to the technical hiccup.
The Orion spacecraft is following a "free-return" trajectory, utilizing the Moon's gravity to sling the capsule back toward Earth without additional propulsion. This maneuver will see the astronauts travel farther into deep space than any humans in history, surpassing the record set by the Apollo 13 mission. This trajectory ensures that even in the event of a primary engine failure, the crew would safely return to Earth’s atmosphere.
Tomorrow’s flyby is expected to include a period of communication loss as the spacecraft passes behind the lunar far side. This critical phase will be monitored closely by international partners and the U.S. Navy recovery teams already stationed in the Pacific Ocean. During this blackout, the crew will continue to record high-resolution data for scientific analysis upon their return.
The mission is slated to conclude with a splashdown on April 10, 2026. Success for Artemis II would pave the way for the highly anticipated Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar South Pole by 2028. This return to the surface represents the next major step in the nation’s renewed era of space discovery.