Artemis II live tracker, day 7: Astronauts returning to Earth after historic lunar flyby

The Artemis II crew is now heading back toward Earth after completing a historic lunar flyby.

On Monday, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen spent several hours on the Orion spacecraft observing and photographing parts of the moon's surface never before seen by human eyes.

They also viewed a solar eclipse from the spacecraft.

Artemis II: Astronauts describe solar eclipse from space

The Artemis II astronauts described their experience of viewing a solar eclipse from Orion on April 6. The solar eclipse was only visible to the astronauts on the spacecraft and not visible from Earth.  The astronauts witnessed the eclipse around 8:30 p.m., describing the visible corona – the sun's outer layer – creating a layer around the moon. 

The crew also named a crater on the moon after commander Wiseman's late wife, Carroll, who died from cancer in 2020. Another crater was named Integrity, after the name the crew gave the Orion spacecraft.

Artemis II also traveled more than 250,000 miles from Earth, breaking the record for the greatest distance humans have traveled from the planet, which was set by Apollo 13 in 1970.  

When will Artemis II return to Earth?

It will take the crew about four days to make the trip back to Earth. They are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. 

Artemis II mission timeline

Artemis II launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, sending the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day journey to the moon and back to Earth. 

An illustration showing the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA

1. Earth orbit (Day 1): The Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth for one day to confirm all spacecraft systems are functioning properly.
2. To the moon (Days 2–5): Orion’s main engine will fire to propel the capsule out of Earth orbit toward the moon, roughly 244,000 miles (393,000 kilometers) away.
3. Moon flyby (Day 6): Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, passing about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) beyond the moon. Astronauts are expected to document the flyby with cameras and smartphones before heading back to Earth.
4. Return (Days 6–9): Using a free-return trajectory, Orion will use the moon’s and Earth’s gravity to guide the spacecraft safely home.
5. Reentry: The service module separates, and the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures up to 3,000°F (1,650°C).
6. Splashdown: The Artemis II crew will parachute into the Pacific Ocean, completing the mission much like Apollo astronauts did decades ago.

Artemis II live tracker

NASA has created the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), where people can track the Orion spacecraft in real time. Click here to see where the spacecraft and the Artemis II astronauts are.

Views from space: NASA video feed from Orion spacecraft

NASA is also broadcasting a feed from the Orion spacecraft. Viewers can get live views of space during the crew's trip. 

The feed is expected to end shortly before the Orion splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, according to NASA.