Artemis II passes midpoint ahead of lunar flyby

The Artemis II mission has passed its halfway point and is preparing for a lunar flyby scheduled for Monday, 6 April, as the four-person crew continues its journey around the Moon, according to mission updates.

The crew—Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch and Reid Wiseman—reached the mission midpoint at approximately 7 pm on Saturday (GMT+6).

The upcoming flyby, expected to last about five hours, is designed to allow astronauts to observe the Moon's far side in daylight conditions. Mission planners say the opportunity provides a rare chance for human observation of regions previously seen primarily through unmanned missions or during lunar night, reports Scientific American.

According to NASA officials, the crew has spent months training to identify lunar surface features, using reference materials to distinguish variations in terrain and colour that may not be visible through satellite imagery alone.

A primary scientific target is the Orientale basin, a large impact structure that researchers say offers insights into planetary formation and impact processes. Kelsey Young said of the feature: "This is an impact basin that has is played such a critical role in not just lunar science, but in planetary and solar system science."

She added, "It's the type impact basin we use to understand impact processes across the solar system, which is one of the most ubiquitous processes across the entire solar system. And we've never had human eyes on by far the majority of it."

The mission may also provide the crew with an opportunity to observe a solar eclipse from space, as the Moon passes between the spacecraft and the Sun during the flyby.

On the technical side, officials have highlighted both strong performance and ongoing challenges. John Honeycutt said of the launch vehicle performance: "It did that—with 99.92% accuracy." He also noted, "That was a big bullseye, and I'm very happy about that."

Despite the precision of the launch, the Orion capsule has experienced issues with its wastewater system. Debbie Korth said, "We think it's probably been seeing more shadow than anticipated," referring to a suspected ice clog in the system's lines. She added, "By heating it up, we were able to get some of the urine out, but it clearly didn't solve the whole problem."

Mission controllers attempted to mitigate the issue by orienting the spacecraft toward the Sun to warm the affected components, though the fix has been only partially effective. The crew has been using contingency systems to manage liquid waste during the remainder of the mission.

While technical anomalies have required adjustments, mission officials say operations remain on track as the spacecraft continues its trajectory toward the lunar flyby. Crew members have also reflected on their experience in orbit, describing the broader perspective gained from viewing Earth against the backdrop of space.