Artemis II Crew Observes Far Side of Moon During Third Day of Mission

NASA's Artemis II spacecraft entered its third day on Saturday, carrying a crew of four astronauts on a mission to orbit the Moon's far side and return to Earth. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. This flight marks the first crewed mission to the Moon's vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972.

" The astronauts reported this observation as they approached the lunar far side for the first time in human spaceflight history. No prior crewed missions have directly observed this hemisphere, which faces away from Earth due to tidal locking.

As of 23:00 BST on Saturday, the spacecraft was positioned more than 180,000 miles (289,681 km) from Earth, according to NASA's online dashboard. The mission trajectory will carry the crew around the Moon's far side without landing. Artemis II serves as a test flight for systems intended for future lunar landings under NASA's Artemis program.

The far side of the Moon, often misnamed the dark side, receives sunlight but remains hidden from Earth-based observers. It features a rugged terrain with numerous craters and fewer lunar maria compared to the near side. The crew's observations provide a unique human perspective on these geological characteristics.

Mission scientists expressed anticipation for the flyby, scheduled for Monday, April 6, if the timeline proceeds as planned. Nature reported that experts are particularly interested in viewing specific geological features during this phase. These include ancient impact basins and volcanic structures visible only from this vantage point.

Artemis II builds on uncrewed test flights, including Artemis I in 2022, which successfully orbited the Moon. The current mission lasts approximately 10 days, with the crew expected to return to Earth on April 15. International collaboration is evident through Hansen's participation from the Canadian Space Agency.

The mission's objectives include verifying spacecraft performance in deep space and testing life support systems for the crew. No sample collection or surface operations are planned. Future Artemis missions aim to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon, with Artemis III targeted for a crewed landing in 2026.