Artemis II is expected to lose communications when the spacecraft passes behind the Moon at around 6:44 p.m. EDT on Monday.
Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell recorded a special message for the Artemis II astronauts before his death in 2025.
Artemis II surpassed the previous human distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 by about 4,102 miles.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Artemis II uses a free-return eight-shaped trajectory that would bring Orion back to Earth even if propulsion failed.
Artemis II has entered the Moon's sphere of influence.
Artemis II set the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by a crewed mission, surpassing Apollo 13's 248,655-mile record set in 1970.
Orion will rely on its propulsion system and the European service module for Artemis II's lunar flyby.
During the lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew will be able to observe the solar corona with the naked eye.
NASA’s Artemis II crew captured a new image showing the Orientale basin on the right edge of the lunar disk.
The four Artemis II astronauts were scheduled to reach their closest approach to the Moon on April 6, 2026.
During the lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew will witness a solar eclipse from space as the Moon passes between the spacecraft and the Sun.
Artemis II was expected to cross into the Moon’s sphere of influence just after midnight in the early hours of Monday, April 6, 2026.
Artemis II will fly about 4,000 miles above the Moon, far above the 70-mile orbits of the Apollo era.
The Artemis II crew was over 200,000 miles from Earth and approaching the Moon’s sphere of influence.
On Sunday, April 5, 2026, Artemis II was in Flight Day 5.
The Artemis II crew will set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth.
The Artemis II crew was relying on contingency collection bags because of a malfunction in Orion’s waste management system.
Artemis II is a crewed lunar flyby mission.
The Artemis II astronauts were conducting final checks on their Orion Crew Survival Suits.