Artemis II Is About To Fly Around the Far Side of the Moon
The Artemis II crew will travel farther than any human before. Here's everything you need to know about the historic moment.
time.comHere’s the latest on Artemis II and the far side moon, based on recent reporting.
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Artemis II is actively conducting a lunar flyby mission that takes the crew behind the Moon’s far side, where communications are temporarily interrupted by a planned blackout period. This phase is part of the mission’s test of deep-space systems before any crewed landing.[1][5]
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Public feeds and press coverage around early April 2026 highlighted the Orion spacecraft nearing its far-side approach, with NASA releasing imagery of the Orientale basin on the Moon’s far side. The mission is tracking a return trajectory after its lunar pass, and officials have indicated the plan remains on track for a homeward leg.[5][6][7]
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New images released during the flyby show the far side from angles not visible from Earth, underscoring Artemis II’s objective to validate communications, power, propulsion, and navigation in deep space as a precursor to future crewed lunar operations. NASA described the Orientale basin visibility as a notable milestone of the far-side observations.[6][5]
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Coverage from major outlets during the period noted a steady progression toward the mission’s planned return, with officials signaling that the overall profile and timeline remained intact, even as the far side offered unprecedented views for the crew and ground observers.[10][1][6]
If you’d like, I can pull the most current official NASA status updates or provide a brief timeline of Artemis II milestones around the far side flyby and return burn, with citations.