{"id":1867734,"date":"2026-04-06T05:56:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:56:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1867734"},"modified":"2026-04-06T05:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:56:10","slug":"artemis-ii-arrives-in-lunar-space-ahead-of-its-trip-around-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1867734","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II arrives in lunar space ahead of its trip around the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4eNsttnunrJbC73ybgT.dA&#8211;\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD05MDA-\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/earthwiseman_4411.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"article-a3fe7747-9818-4813-962a-44fcfce34ba0\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mx-auto md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px]\">\n<nav class=\"prestige-breadcrumb relative mx-4 md:mx-0\" aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<ol class=\"no-scrollbar overflow-scroll whitespace-nowrap text-battleship\">\n<li class=\"inline\">\n<li class=\"inline-block cursor-default last:pr-10 md:last:pr-20 font-bold\">Science<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-block cursor-default last:pr-10 md:last:pr-20 ml-2 before:mb-0.5 before:mr-3 before:inline-block before:size-2 before:rotate-45 before:border-r-2 before:border-t-2 before:border-battleship\">Space<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<header class=\"mb-4 px-4 md:mb-6 md:px-0\">\n<h1 class=\"layout-h1 my-2 font-bold leading-tight\">Artemis II arrives in lunar space ahead of its trip around the Moon<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"my-2 text-[18px] font-light leading-5 md:max-w-[660px] md:text-[20px]\/[28px]\">The far side flyby will commence around 2:45 PM ET on April 6.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex-col items-start lg:flex lg:flex-row lg:items-center lg:justify-between mt-6\">\n<div class=\"relative md:mr-[10px]\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-2\">\n<div class=\"shrink-0 cursor-pointer inline-block size-[42px] lg:size-[48px]\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt role=\"img\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full rounded-full object-cover object-center shadow-[0_0_0_2px_#ffffff]\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/25VCJEDlyhvGdlO1clrMig--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTgwO2g9ODA-\/https:\/\/o.aolcdn.com\/images\/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2023-09%2F04b773d0-5cbd-11ee-bbee-fb1bf060105b&amp;compress=1&amp;progressive=1&amp;quality=75&amp;client=hawkeye&amp;signature=0cbacc2ca3cac6650f7a242f12d6f4c7d37ff457\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-block\">\n<div class=\"w-max text-sm\/5 font-semibold lg:!flex flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col\">\n<div class=\"flex w-max items-center\">Cheyenne MacDonald<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-normal sm:before:inline-block\">Weekend Editor<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"lg:hidden\">\n<div class=\"text-xs text-dolphin dark:text-shark md:text-sm\/5 pt-4\">\n<div class=\"inline-block\"><span class=\"mr-1 hidden lg:inline\">Updated<\/span><time datetime=\"2026-04-06T05:56:10.000Z\">Mon, April 6, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTC<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ml-0 mt-4 flex items-center lg:ml-3 lg:mt-0\">\n<div class=\"ml-0 mr-2\">\n<div class=\"relative flex\">Add Engadget on Google<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden lg:block\">\n<div class=\"text-xs text-dolphin dark:text-shark md:text-sm\/5 pt-4\">\n<div class=\"inline-block\"><span class=\"mr-1 hidden lg:inline\">Updated<\/span><time datetime=\"2026-04-06T05:56:10.000Z\">Mon, April 6, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTC<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-1 gap-x-8 lg:gap-x-0 mx-auto md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px] md:grid-cols-[[main-start]_1fr_[main-end_right-start]_min-content_[right-end]] lg:!gap-x-8\">\n<div class=\"md:col-main\" data-i13n-boundary=\"true\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-[[fullbleed-start_body-start]_minmax(auto,750px)_[body-end_fullbleed-end]]\">\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden fig-image-round left-1\/2 w-screen -translate-x-1\/2 md:left-0 md:w-auto md:translate-x-0\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt class=\"object-cover object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/oDi7mWZrm.ccbefF8oCfHg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD05MzI-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/uu\/api\/res\/1.2\/yDIvugbcx3sxEcZKtQeKpQ--~B\/aD0yMzE2O3c9MzA4ODthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/earthwiseman_4411.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\">Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman looks out at Earth<\/span><span> (NASA)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px] drop-cap\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Artemis II and its four-person crew have entered the Moon\u2019s \u201csphere of influence,\u201d meaning the spacecraft is more affected by lunar gravity than the Earth\u2019s pull. The transition occurred at a distance of 39,000 miles from the Moon, four days, six hours and two minutes into the mission. The next and most important phase will happen tomorrow when the craft loops around the Moon\u2019s far side, taking humans deeper into space than they\u2019ve ever been before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">At their apogee, Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canada\u2019s Jeremy Hansen will be 252,757 miles from Earth. That will break the previous record held by the Apollo 13 crew by just over 4,000 miles. They\u2019re the first humans to cross the lunar threshold since 1972\u2019s Apollo 17 moon landing mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The crew spent this weekend carrying out preparations for their lunar flyby. That included manual piloting demonstrations, reviewing their science objectives for the six-hour observation period and evaluating their space suits, which are there for life support in the event of an emergency and for their return home. But, they&#8217;ve had plenty of time to take in the views, too \u2014 and those views sure are spectacular. In the latest series of images shared by the space agency, the astronauts are seen gazing at Earth through the windows of the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_kd97b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-body mb-4 hidden pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:block\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_14d97b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Orion will reach the moon&#8217;s vicinity shortly after midnight on Monday, April 6. Later that day, the crew is expected to reach a point farther than any humans have traveled from Earth, surpassing the record of 248,655 miles from Earth set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft&#039;s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/vjW1kV3hbYledyktW8TtAQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMA--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/orionkoch_3732.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\">Mission specialist Christina Koch takes in the view.<\/span><span> (NASA)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The lunar observation period will start at 2:45PM ET, and a few hours later, they&#8217;ll be behind the moon and briefly drop out of communication. The spacecraft&#8217;s closest approach to the moon is expected to occur at 7:02PM, when it will be 4,066 miles from the surface. &#8220;From that distance, the crew will see the entire disk of the Moon at once, including regions near the north and south poles,&#8221; according to NASA. The crew will later get a chance to see a solar eclipse &#8220;as Orion, the Moon, and the Sun align in such a way that the astronauts will see our star disappear behind the Moon for about an hour.&#8221; NASA will have coverage of the flyby starting at 1PM ET.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><strong>Update April 7 at 1:40 AM ET<\/strong>: The post has been updated with news that Artemis II has entered the Moon\u2019s sphere of influence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"hidden flex-none md:block col-right\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full flex-col flex-nowrap\">\n<div class=\"flex-auto\">\n<div class=\"sticky flex flex-none\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_1pp7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"md:col-main grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px]\">\n<div class=\"no-scrollbar col-body mx-4 mb-8 mt-2.5 overflow-x-scroll whitespace-nowrap md:mx-0 md:max-w-[750px] md:overflow-x-visible\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto max-w-screen-sm\">\n<ul class=\"inline-flex text-xs md:text-sm\">\n<li class=\"mr-6\">About our ads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:grid-cols-article lg:max-w-[750px] drop-cap\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Artemis II and its four-person crew have entered the Moon\u2019s \u201csphere of influence,\u201d meaning the spacecraft is more affected by lunar gravity than the Earth\u2019s pull. The transition occurred at a distance of 39,000 miles from the Moon, four days, six hours and two minutes into the mission. The next and most important phase will happen tomorrow when the craft loops around the Moon\u2019s far side, taking humans deeper into space than they\u2019ve ever been before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">At their apogee, Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Canada\u2019s Jeremy Hansen will be 252,757 miles from Earth. That will break the previous record held by the Apollo 13 crew by just over 4,000 miles. They\u2019re the first humans to cross the lunar threshold since 1972\u2019s Apollo 17 moon landing mission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The crew spent this weekend carrying out preparations for their lunar flyby. That included manual piloting demonstrations, reviewing their science objectives for the six-hour observation period and evaluating their space suits, which are there for life support in the event of an emergency and for their return home. But, they&#8217;ve had plenty of time to take in the views, too \u2014 and those views sure are spectacular. In the latest series of images shared by the space agency, the astronauts are seen gazing at Earth through the windows of the Orion spacecraft.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_kd97b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-body mb-4 hidden pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:block\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_14d97b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Orion will reach the moon&#8217;s vicinity shortly after midnight on Monday, April 6. Later that day, the crew is expected to reach a point farther than any humans have traveled from Earth, surpassing the record of 248,655 miles from Earth set by the Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch peers out of one of the Orion spacecraft&#039;s main cabin windows, looking back at Earth, as the crew travels towards the Moon.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/vjW1kV3hbYledyktW8TtAQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMA--\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/orionkoch_3732.jpg\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span class=\"[&amp;_p]:inline\">Mission specialist Christina Koch takes in the view.<\/span><span> (NASA)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The lunar observation period will start at 2:45PM ET, and a few hours later, they&#8217;ll be behind the moon and briefly drop out of communication. The spacecraft&#8217;s closest approach to the moon is expected to occur at 7:02PM, when it will be 4,066 miles from the surface. &#8220;From that distance, the crew will see the entire disk of the Moon at once, including regions near the north and south poles,&#8221; according to NASA. The crew will later get a chance to see a solar eclipse &#8220;as Orion, the Moon, and the Sun align in such a way that the astronauts will see our star disappear behind the Moon for about an hour.&#8221; NASA will have coverage of the flyby starting at 1PM ET.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><strong>Update April 7 at 1:40 AM ET<\/strong>: The post has been updated with news that Artemis II has entered the Moon\u2019s sphere of influence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/science\/space\/artemis-ii-arrives-in-lunar-space-ahead-of-its-trip-around-the-moon-211919381.html&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4eNsttnunrJbC73ybgT.dA&#8211;\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD05MDA-\/https:\/\/d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net\/images\/user-uploaded\/earthwiseman_4411.jpg&#8221;] Science Space Artemis II arrives in lunar space ahead of its trip around the Moon The far side flyby will commence around 2:45 PM ET on April 6. Cheyenne MacDonald Weekend Editor UpdatedMon, April 6, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTC Add Engadget on Google UpdatedMon, April 6, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTC [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,63],"class_list":["post-1867734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-engadget-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1867734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1867734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1867734\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1867734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1867734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1867734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}