NASA's Artemis II Mission Enters Moon's Gravitational Sphere of Influence

NASA's Artemis II mission entered the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence on Monday, advancing toward the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972.

The Orion spacecraft, carrying four astronauts, was about 346,000 kilometers from Earth and 104,000 kilometers from the Moon at that point. The mission marks a significant step in NASA's program to return humans to the lunar vicinity after more than five decades.

On flight day five, the crew tested the Orion Crew Survival System suits as part of preparations for the journey. The roughly 10-day mission is designed to test Orion's systems ahead of future lunar landings.

The spacecraft is set to perform a gravity-assisted slingshot maneuver, passing approximately 6,400 kilometers above the lunar surface at closest approach. This distance will surpass the record set by Apollo 13, the closest any crewed mission has come to the Moon without landing since that 1970 flight.

Artemis II builds on the uncrewed Artemis I mission from 2022, validating the spacecraft's capabilities in deep space. The flyby will allow engineers to gather data on the spacecraft's performance during lunar gravity influence and the return trajectory to Earth.