NASA Artemis II Flight Day 5 Highlights | Johnson Space Center

NASA Artemis II Flight Day 5 Highlights | Johnson Space Center

Mission control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the Artemis II crew completed an outbound correction burn to refine the Orion spacecraft’s trajectory to the Moon. The burn began at 11:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and lasted 17.5 seconds. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, continue on a precise path to flyby the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Early in their workday, the crew completed a key test objective of the mission: the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit.  

All four crew members conducted a full sequence of tests, including putting on and pressurizing the suit, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry, and assessing mobility and their ability to eat and drink. The suit protects astronauts during dynamic phases of flight and provides life support in the event of cabin depressurization and survival operations after splashdown. 

Wrapping up the day, the crew will enter the Moon’s sphere of influence at 12:41 a.m. Monday, April 6, when the Moon’s gravity becomes the dominant force controlling Orion’s trajectory.  

This milestone sets the stage for the main event of flight day 6: the crew’s flight around the far side of the Moon. 

Watch live coverage of the Artemis II lunar flyby on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max and Roku beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, alongside NASA’s 24/7 coverage on its YouTube channel.
https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/

Key lunar flyby times, milestones (all times Eastern subject to change based on real-time operations): 

1 p.m.: NASA+ coverage of lunar flyby begins. 

1:56 p.m.: The crew will surpass the record for humans’ farthest distance from Earth, previously set by Apollo 13 in 1970. 

2:10 p.m.: Crew remarks on breaking Apollo 13 distance record (audio only) 

2:15 p.m.: Crew configures Orion’s cabin for flyby operations 

2:45 p.m.: Lunar observation begins 

6:44 p.m.: Predicted loss of communications as crew heads behind the Moon (approximately 40 minutes) 

7:02 p.m. Orion closest approach to the Moon (4,070 miles)

7:07 p.m.: Orion reaches maximum distance from Earth (252,757 miles) 

7:25 p.m.: “Earthrise” marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the moon; Predicted acquisition of communications as crew reemerges from behind the Moon

8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew’s perspective

9:20 p.m.: Lunar observation concludes 

Track NASA’s Artemis II Mission in real time:

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/

Check the Artemis blog for updates: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Video Credit: NASA/JSC
Duration: 25 minutes
Release Date: April 6, 2026

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