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Artemis crew begins lunar flyby, first human Moon pass since 1972

The Orion capsule crossed into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence on April 6, putting four astronauts on a lunar loop that will record the first human Moon flyby since 1972, test spacecraft systems and capture previously unseen lunar features.

Apr 6th 2026 · United States

Insights

  • Orion entered the Moon's sphere of influence at about 0442 GMT on April 6, 2026, starting the lunar flyby.
  • The crew of four—commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—will perform the first human lunar flyby since 1972.
  • At sphere of influence entry the spacecraft was about 39,000 miles from the Moon and about 232,000 miles from Earth, NASA said.
  • The crew photographed the Orientale basin, marking the first time human eyes have seen the entire feature.
  • Astronauts will test the Orion crew survival system suits and conduct a manual piloting demonstration while on the far side of the Moon.
  • NASA said data from this mission will be used to prepare Artemis 3 in 2027 and the planned Artemis 4 lunar landing in 2028.

Sources