Source: Radio New Zealand
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Artemis II is humanity’s first flight to the moon since 1972, when NASA’s Apollo 17 landed on the moon.
The 10-day journey is being piloted by three Americans and one Canadian, who have been tasked with photographing the mysterious lunar far side.
As of midday on Monday, the astronauts were 226,000 miles away from Earth and only 50,000 miles away from the moon, according to NASA’s online dashboard.
They are set to reach their destination on Tuesday morning, with their lunar observation period to begin at about 7am (NZST).
Here’s how to watch the historic lunar flyby and the key times you need to know.
Tuesday
6:45am – Lunar observation period set to begin, with NASA to start the livestream at 5am.
10:47am – NASA are expecting a loss of communications that could last up to 40 minutes. During this time at the crew is expected to reach their maximum distance from Earth.
12:35pm – The crew to witness the moon eclipsing the sun.
1:20pm – Lunar observation period and flyby to conclude.
2:50pm – The crew will appear live to share in detail what they’ve just witnessed.
Wednesday
5:28am – The crew will leave the lunar sphere of influence – leaving the Moon behind.
6:40am – The Artemis II crew to debrief with scientists and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
1:03pm – Return trajectory correction-1 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.
Awe-inspiring new photos captured by the Artemis II astronauts showcase the moon and the interior of the Orion spacecraft, offering a glimpse into their lives in space as they close in on another historic milestone. CNN / NASA
Thursday
11:20am – A live broadcast from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to begin, where they will receive and share video or data from Artemis II.
Friday
10:10am – In orbit news conference with Artemis II crew.
2:53pm – Return trajectory correction-2 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.
Saturday
5:50am – Cabin configuration for re-entry set to begin.
6:53am – Return trajectory correction-3 burn to get the ship travelling back to Earth.
11:33am – Crew module and service module separates.
12:07pm – The ship is set to splashdown into the Pacific Ocean, with NASA and US Department of War personnel expected to assist the crew.
2:30pm – Final news conference at NASA in Johnson, Texas.
How to watch
NASA is covering the flyby in real time on Youtube.
All updates are also included in the online Artemis blog.
Times are subject to change based on the exact time of launch and mission operations.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
