Artemis II Mission Status

Live Data

Speed

How fast Orion is moving relative to Earth. After the trans-lunar injection burn, the spacecraft coasts at roughly 39,000 km/h but gradually decelerates as Earth’s gravity pulls it back. It will speed up again during the lunar flyby as the Moon’s gravity slings the capsule around the far side.

Awaiting data

Distance from Earth

The straight-line distance between Orion and Earth’s surface. During the outbound leg this number climbs steadily for about four days, peaking near 380,000 km. On Artemis II this makes the crew the farthest humans from home since Apollo 17 in 1972 — and the first to travel this far in over fifty years.

Awaiting data

Distance from Moon

How far Orion is from the lunar surface. This shrinks dramatically during the flyby. At closest approach the crew will pass roughly 6,600 km above the far side — close enough to see individual craters with the naked eye, and far beyond the reach of any communication relay, producing several minutes of planned loss-of-signal.

Awaiting data

Altitude

Orion’s height above the nearest major body (Earth near launch and return, the Moon during the flyby). Watch it drop quickly after launch as the spacecraft transitions from its parking orbit, then climb again on the trans-lunar coast. During the powered flyby it plunges back down before climbing once more on the return leg.

Awaiting data

Signal Delay

The time it takes a radio signal to travel between Orion and Mission Control in Houston. Near Earth it’s negligible, but at lunar distance it reaches about 1.3 seconds each way. That means every voice call has a 2.6-second round-trip lag — noticeable in conversation, and a real factor when the crew needs to coordinate time-critical manoeuvres with the ground.

Awaiting data

Range Rate

Whether the distance between Orion and Earth is growing or shrinking, and how fast. A positive value means the spacecraft is moving away; negative means it’s heading home. This is one of the key numbers flight dynamics officers watch to confirm the spacecraft is on the right trajectory after each burn.

Awaiting data

Solar Phase Angle

The angle between the Sun, Orion, and the observer (Earth). It determines how much of the spacecraft is sunlit as seen from home. At 0° the Sun is behind the observer and Orion is fully lit; at 180° it’s backlit. This matters for optical tracking, thermal management, and tells you whether the crew is seeing a sunlit or shadowed lunar surface during their flyby.

Awaiting data

Crew G-Force (estimated)

The acceleration the crew feels, expressed as multiples of Earth’s gravity. During coast phases it hovers near zero — the crew floats weightless. At launch it peaks around 2.5 G (the crew weighs 2½ times normal), and during re-entry it surges to roughly 4 G for several minutes as the capsule decelerates through the atmosphere. That’s uncomfortable but well within the crew’s training limits.

1.0 G

Normal Earth gravity

Earth View

The region of Earth directly below Orion right now — the sub-spacecraft point. From the crew’s distance, they can see an entire hemisphere at once: oceans, continents, cloud patterns, and the thin blue line of the atmosphere. As Orion travels farther from Earth, more of the planet fits in their window, but individual features grow smaller. This is computed from Orion’s geocentric position vectors provided by JPL Horizons.

Awaiting data

Earth Apparent Size

How large Earth appears to the crew, measured as an angular diameter in degrees. On Earth, the Moon looks about 0.5° across — roughly a pinky fingernail at arm’s length. As Orion travels toward the Moon, Earth shrinks from filling the windows to a small, brilliant disc. The crew can literally watch their home world become a dot, giving them the “Overview Effect” — a profound shift in perspective reported by nearly every deep-space astronaut.

Awaiting data

Moon Apparent Size

How large the Moon appears to the crew, measured as an angular diameter in degrees. From Earth, the Moon spans about 0.5°. During the outbound coast the Moon grows slowly larger; during the close flyby it swells dramatically — potentially filling an entire window. At closest approach (~6,600 km) it can appear over 29° wide, roughly the span of a hand with fingers spread apart. This is a view no human has seen since the Apollo era.

Awaiting data

Data shown is estimated based on mission trajectory. Live NASA telemetry is not yet available.

Space Weather

Overall Risk Level

A combined assessment of solar flares, geomagnetic storms, coronal mass ejections, and solar energetic particle events over the last 3 days. For Artemis II crew travelling beyond Earth’s magnetosphere, “Elevated” means conditions should be monitored and “Severe” may require sheltering inside Orion’s crew module or adjusting the flight plan.

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Last Solar Flare

Solar flares are bursts of radiation from the Sun, classified by intensity: C-class are common and weak, M-class are moderate and can cause brief radio blackouts, and X-class are the most powerful — they can disrupt communications and, critically for a deep-space crew, produce dangerous radiation. For Artemis II astronauts beyond Earth’s magnetic shield, an X-class flare could require sheltering inside Orion’s crew module.

Awaiting data

Recent flares

Geomagnetic Storms

Geomagnetic storms happen when a burst of solar wind hits Earth’s magnetic field, measured on the Kp index (0–9). Kp 5+ means a storm is underway: satellite electronics can glitch, GPS accuracy drops, and at Kp 7+ high-frequency radio goes down. For Artemis II, storms shake up the radiation belts the crew passes through during launch and re-entry. A strong storm can also affect Deep Space Network tracking and communication.

Awaiting data

Storm history

Crew Radiation

Solar energetic particle (SEP) events are the biggest radiation threat to astronauts. When a powerful flare or CME accelerates protons to near light speed, they can penetrate spacecraft walls and cause radiation sickness. On the ISS, Earth’s magnetosphere provides shielding. Artemis II will be beyond that shield for most of the mission. If an SEP event is active, the crew would shelter in the most shielded part of the Orion capsule and mission controllers may adjust the flight plan.

Awaiting data

SEP event details

CMEs

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a massive cloud of magnetised plasma hurled from the Sun. It travels at 250–3,000 km/s and can take 1–3 days to reach Earth. If directed at Earth or the Moon, a CME can trigger geomagnetic storms, radiation spikes, and communication disruptions. For Artemis II, an inbound CME is the main reason mission controllers might modify the flight timeline — it’s the “space hurricane” that the crew and ground teams watch for most closely.

Awaiting data

Recent CMEs

Data from NASA DONKI (opens in new tab). Updated every 15 min.

Data from NASA DSN Now. Updated every 60 seconds.

Audio Radar

Live Coverage

Mission Timeline