"During the lunar flyby, the closest Orion will come to the surface of the moon is 4,070 miles [6,550 kilometers]. From that distance, the crew will have a unique vantage point of the moon as a full disc — and the ability to take observations never before seen by human eyes."
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/06/nx-s1-5773187/nasa-artemis-ii-moon-lunar-flyby
Follow along! https://artemis.cdnspace.ca
Well, the dashboard has been down for a while now, and it's about 15 minutes until the crew reaches the moon.
Some alternative places to keep an eye on:
The official live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-j1uxBmis0
Artemis Real-time Orbit Website: https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/
Artemis II Multimedia: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/
And an alternative tracker: https://artemis-ii-tracker.com/
"We can actually see the moon and Earth at the same time right now."
"It is awesome to see this side of the moon."
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/science/live-news/nasa-artemis-2-flyby-moon-mission
"[NASA astronaut Victor Glover] also gave his family a shoutout because they’re in the viewing gallery in Mission Control. “Hey babe,” Glover said to his wife. “I love you from the moon.”"
Smooth.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/science/live-news/nasa-artemis-2-flyby-moon-mission
"NASA Mission Control in Houston has lost a direct communications link with the astronauts aboard Orion, which is entirely expected as the spacecraft soars beyond the moon’s far side and moves out of the reach of large antennas on Earth.
This loss of signal should last for about 40 minutes."
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/science/live-news/nasa-artemis-2-flyby-moon-mission
Godspeed.
"The astronauts have resumed communicating with NASA Mission Control Center in Houston after the Orion spacecraft reemerged from behind the moon."
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/06/science/live-news/nasa-artemis-2-flyby-moon-mission
"And it is so great to hear from Earth again."
@stefan
Oh, to have someone to love from the moon.
And the exceptional health that would allow me to go to the moon.
Current status as per https://artemis.cdnspace.ca:
Lunar flyby — photography & observations
Duration: 6 hours
Progress: 22%
"Orion is carrying 32 cameras and devices [...] Fifteen cameras are mounted directly to the spacecraft, and 17 are handheld cameras operated by the crew."*
Looking forward to browsing https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/ when the photos are ready.
* via https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nasa-answers-your-most-pressing-artemis-ii-questions/
Via https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1496429658519072&set=a.416660999829282
Presumably a little tease before the rest of the images are uploaded to https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/
More images coming in!
#ArtemisII #moon #earth #earthrise #nasa #space #photography
NASA Image and Video Library, serving up consolidated imagery and videos in one searchable location. Users can download content in multiple sizes and resolutions and see the metadata associated with images, including EXIF/camera data on many images.
Love this one, very sci-fi.
NASA Image and Video Library, serving up consolidated imagery and videos in one searchable location. Users can download content in multiple sizes and resolutions and see the metadata associated with images, including EXIF/camera data on many images.
And now uploaded to https://www.nasa.gov/gallery/lunar-flyby/
#ArtemisII #moon #MoonFlyBy #LunarFlyBy #NASA #space #photography #science
And I know the current events have soured this moment for many of us. Definitely how I felt in the weeks leading up to the mission.
But it's worth remembering this is the result of the work, dedication, and bravery of many. And I think it's still worth celebrating that.
@dawne314 I hear you. And it's even worse now after Trump's unhinged threats.
Wish I had more to add here, other than: in solidarity ✊
@stefan Correction: That's a Earthset (I can see why it may be confusing to tell between Earthset and Earthrise)
NASA Image and Video Library, serving up consolidated imagery and videos in one searchable location. Users can download content in multiple sizes and resolutions and see the metadata associated with images, including EXIF/camera data on many images.
@aetios Yep, already corrected this, you might be seeing an older version of the post on your server.
Thank you for the heads-up though!
@aetios Actually, case in point, if you're interested, here's a pretty good breakdown of how long it can take for a post (and presumably an update to a post) to federate:
https://stefanhayden.com/blog/2024/05/10/mastodon-federation-speed-test/
Good thing to be aware of!
Recently Stefan Bohacek ran a poll to find out how long a post takes to appear to his followers. A great question! There is no one speed a post is circulated. When a post is made it enters a queue on sidekiq (below) to be sent out to other servers....
I am super glued to the livestream
@clive Honestly, I wasn't thinking too much about the mission in the days/weeks leading up to it, given, well, everything, I guess.
But then I started looking at it from the point of view of people who have been involved, and those around the world still cheering on something that really is a pretty big shared achievement.
Yeah, space travel still kicks ass.
Yeah, I wasn't paying a ton of attention to it, though I ambiently follow the astronaut Christina Koch on instagram so I'd seen the occasional post about the training
then in the last few weeks I got much more interested!
I think it is just hilariously bonkers and great that I live an age where they're *livestreaming* video of their approach to the moon, and I'm sitting here doing my work with the stream in the corner of my screen
Stefan Bohacek
Traiken
Shadow, First of His Name 
Ozzelot 
Deborah Edwards-Oñoro
Dawn
noplasticshower
🌸spectrumGirl 🇵🇸
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🔻 aetios 🇪🇺
Clive Thompson
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