Key moments during Artemis astronauts' lunar flyby on Monday

Mission control has sent the Artemis II crew the final list of lunar surface features the science team has assigned for observation and photography during the lunar flyby on Monday. Ahead of the flyby, the crew will work through final preparations and hold a conference with mission controllers to finalize lunar targets and techniques.

Orientale basin

The 30 targets include the Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides. Orientale will be fully illuminated and visible as Orion approaches the Moon. This 3.8-billion-year-old crater formed when a large object struck the lunar surface and retains clear evidence of that collision, including dramatic topography in its rings. The crew will study Orientale’s features up close and from multiple angles as they pass by.

Hertzsprung basin

Hertzsprung basin is also on the crew’s list of targets. Northwest of Orientale is a nearly 400-mile crater on the Moon’s far side. An older ringed basin, Hertzsprung, contrasts with Orientale because its features have been degraded by subsequent impacts. The crew will compare the topography of the two craters to gain insight into how features evolve over geologic timescales.

NASA officials said during a press conference on Sunday that the Apollo 12 and 14 landing sites will be visible to the Artemis crew during the flyby, but provided no further details.

Timeline of Events (All times are Eastern and may change based on real-time operations):

April 6, 2026

12:40 a.m. Orion enters the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon

1:30 p.m. The science officer in mission control will brief the crew on their science goals for the upcoming flyby. 

1:56 p.m. Crew passes the distance from Earth record set by Apollo 13 in 1970

2:45 p.m. Lunar flyby and observation period begin

4:55 p.m. Cabin and Window Teams Swap for observations

5:10 p.m. Glushko Crater observations

5:18 p.m. Orientsale Basin observations

5:34 p.m. Hertzsprung Basin observations

5:41 p.m. Window Team Position Swap for observations

5:42 p.m. Crew Choice #2 for observations

5:50 p.m. Discussion #4: Terminator

6:05 p.m. Cabin and Window Teams Swap for observations

6:44 p.m. Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the Moon.

6:45 p.m. During “Earthset,” Earth will glide behind the Moon from Orion’s perspective.

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

7:07 p.m. Orion reaches maximum distance from Earth (252,760 miles)

7:25 p.m. “Earthrise” marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the Moon.

7:25 p.m. NASA’s Mission Control Center should re-acquire communication with the astronauts.  

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 period concludes

April 7, 2026

1:25 p.m. Orion exits the lunar sphere of influence at 41,072 miles from the Moon.