Artemis II Day 4: Deep-Space Flight Prepares for Lunar Flyby
On Artemis II Day 4, the crew continued a deep-space flight and readied for a lunar flyby set for Monday, April 6. The four-person team reviewed science tasks and spacecraft checks ahead of close approach. Filmogaz.com monitored mission updates from mission control.
Crew status and current position
The astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency. They began the day to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.”
At wakeup the Orion capsule was about 169,000 miles from Earth and roughly 110,700 miles from the Moon. Flight times below are reported in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Piloting test and on‑board checks
Victor Glover will take manual control later tonight to evaluate Orion’s handling in deep space. The demonstration is planned for 9:10 p.m.
Teams will also run a 24‑hour acoustics test to map the spacecraft sound environment. The activities aim to supply engineers with performance data for future missions.
Science objectives for the flyby
The crew will spend this day reviewing lunar targets to photograph and describe during a roughly six‑hour flyby on April 6. The observation window opens at 2:45 p.m., when Orion’s cabin windows face the Moon.
Orion will approach no closer than about 4,066 miles at roughly 7:02 p.m. This vantage differs greatly from Apollo, which flew near 70 miles above the surface. From thousands of miles out, the team will image the full lunar disk, including polar regions.
Geology and eclipse observations
Astronauts will apply field geology training to document craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures. They will record variations in color, brightness, and texture to help scientists deduce surface composition and history.
Near the end of the pass, Orion will align with the Sun and Moon, producing a roughly one‑hour solar eclipse as seen from the spacecraft. Crew members will study the solar corona and search for brief flashes from meteoroid impacts.
Communications and orbital milestones
While passing behind the Moon, Orion will undergo a planned communications blackout starting about 5:47 p.m. The Moon will block radio links to NASA’s Deep Space Network for nearly 40 minutes.
Controllers expect the DSN to reacquire the vehicle shortly after it reemerges. Similar outages occurred during Artemis I and Apollo flights.
Later in the evening, Orion is projected to reach a record distance of approximately 252,757 miles from Earth at about 7:05 p.m. That exceeds the Apollo 13 peak by about 4,102 miles. Apollo 13’s high point was 248,655 miles.
Life‑science and environment experiments
The AVATAR payload carries bone marrow cells derived from crew blood. It will help researchers monitor immune responses in deep space. Mission teams report the payload is operating as expected.
Crew members will collect saliva samples for immune biomarker studies. Additional sensors include DLR‑provided M‑42 radiation detectors inside Orion, augmenting NASA radiation measurements.
Astronauts wear actigraphy devices and complete periodic questionnaires. Those Standard Measures, alongside ARCHER actigraphy data, aim to refine crew health monitoring for future flights.
Trajectory control and wastewater venting
Flight controllers canceled a planned outbound trajectory correction burn because Orion’s path remains nominal. Instead, teams adjusted the spacecraft attitude to aim the wastewater vent toward the Sun.
Controllers vented wastewater overnight to free tank capacity, but the operation finished sooner than planned. Engineers are using vent heaters and solar orientation to address potential ice blockage. The tank is not full and the toilet remains functional. Crew were advised to use backup collection devices if needed.
Optical communications milestone
The Orion Optical Communications System exceeded 100 gigabytes of downlinked data just after 12 p.m. EDT. The terminal, mounted outside the capsule, uses infrared laser links to move larger volumes than traditional radiofrequency systems.
Demonstrations showcase laser communications for complex lunar operations and future missions to Mars and beyond.
Filmogaz.com recommends following NASAArtemis on social platforms and NASA’s YouTube channel for live coverage and mission imagery. This update reflects mission status as of April 4, 2026.
