Where is Artemis 2 right now? Track NASA’s moon mission day 4

Artemis II and its crew aboard the Orion spacecraft are more than halfway to the moon and preparing for a lunar flyby on Monday, NASA said.

The astronauts aboard the spacecraft have been exercising, practicing medical procedures, and testing Orion’s emergency communications systems, NASA said in an update on the Artemis II blog.

Plans for an outbound trajectory correction burn – a burn designed to adjust Orion’s trajectory and velocity on the way to the moon – was canceled as Orion remains on track, NASA said.

NASA illustration: Here’s how Artemis II gets from Earth to the moon – and back

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. 

Watch live: NASA video feed from Orion spacecraft

Here is a live video feed from the Orion spacecraft.

“Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness.”

Timeline: How long does it take to reach the moon?

NASA’s Artemis II mission will orbit Earth for a day, travel to the moon for a flyby beyond its far side, and then return along a free-return trajectory, culminating in Orion’s reentry and a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

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.