Artemis II live tracker, day 8: Crew makes trek back to Earth

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Artemis II crew will spend the eighth day of their mission conducting tests as the Orion spacecraft makes its way back to Earth.

The four-member crew—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—will conduct an orthostatic intolerance garment test.

During the test, the crew will evaluate specialized garments designed to help astronauts maintain blood pressure and circulation when returning to Earth’s gravity, NASA said.

The crew will also take manual control of the spacecraft.

Artemis II’s crew broke the record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth during their historic lunar flyby on Monday.

During the flyby, astronauts took photos and made observations of the lunar surface.

NASA shared the first of the images on Tuesday.  

The Artemis II is expected to conclude its 10-day mission on Friday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

First photos from NASA’s Artemis II moon flyby

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.