Florida [US], April 4 (ANI): NASA’s Artemis II mission is progressing steadily, with astronauts now more than halfway to the Moon as preparations intensify for a historic lunar flyby.
In a post on X on Saturday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared an update on the mission’s status, stating, “Lock in, we’re Moonbound. Artemis II astronauts are more than halfway to their destination, and preparations for lunar flyby are underway.”
The space agency added that during their journey around the far side of the Moon, the crew will capture imagery to share with scientists and the public.
Earlier, NASA confirmed the milestone, noting, “We’re halfway there. At the time of posting this, the Artemis II mission is about halfway to the Moon. When the astronauts arrive, they will conduct a lunar flyby and collect scientific observations of the Moon’s surface.”
Preparations for the upcoming lunar observation phase follow the cancellation of the first outbound trajectory correction burn, NASA said in an earlier update.
According to NASA, astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft began configuring the cabin for the lunar observation period on Monday, April 6. This preparation marks a key step as the mission advances toward its planned lunar flyby.
The agency also noted that crew members have been actively engaged in routine in-flight activities, including physical exercise, medical response drills, and testing the spacecraft’s emergency communication systems in deep space.
“These activities are critical to ensuring crew health and mission readiness during long-duration spaceflight,” NASA said in a blog post update.
Earlier on Friday, the agency released high-resolution images of Earth captured from the Orion capsule as the Artemis II astronauts continue their journey to the Moon.
The astronauts are now on course to travel around the Moon for the first time since the historic Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The Artemis II crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. (ANI)
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