Where are the Artemis II astronauts? See NASA's location tracker
Where are the Artemis II astronauts? See NASA's location tracker
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAYMon, April 6, 2026 at 12:36 PM UTC
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The four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission are approaching a milestone distance of a quarter-million miles from Earth as they near the moon.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch and Victor Glover, and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen are six days into a trailblazing journey that will see them become the first spacefarers to approach the moon in decades. The mission, the second under NASA's multibillion-dollar Artemis program, is the first lunar voyage with humans aboard since the final Apollo mission in 1972.
When the Artemis II crew members fly in an Orion spacecraft around the moon Monday, April 6, they're due to travel farther than any humans ever have from Earth – surpassing a record set during the 1970 Apollo 13 mission.
1 / 0See photos from space during NASA's Artemis II mission so farArtemis II crew members Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover answer questions from reporters during the first downlink event of their mission.
Where are the Artemis II astronauts right now? Here's what to know and how to follow them via NASA's online tracker.
Artemis II: Don't miss NASA's breathtaking photos of Artemis II
How far are the Artemis II astronauts from Earth?
The Artemis II astronauts are nearly 242,000 miles from Earth as they approach the moon as of 8 a.m. Monday, April 6. They still have more than 24,000 miles to go to reach the moon, according to NASA.
Artemis II tracker. Follow moon mission in real time
This screengrab of NASA's virtual tracker shows the status of the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis II mission to the moon as of the morning of Monday, April 6.
Want to follow the astronauts along the Artemis II lunar journey? NASA has an Artemis II tracker available online and on its mobile app that allows users to see where Orion is, how fast it's traveling and how far the spacecraft is from both the Earth and the moon.
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The mobile version for smartphones even includes an augmented reality feature that allows users to move their phones to see where Orion is relative to Earth.
The tracker, officially referred to as the "Artemis Real-time Orbit Website" (AROW,) uses data collected in real time by sensors on the Orion spacecraft sent to the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. That information will be constantly beginning about one minute after liftoff until Orion begins its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere about 10 days later.
Live stream: Watch NASA's Artemis II moon missionWhat will Artemis II crew do today? Lunar flyby ahead
Artemis II is due to reach the moon and make a historic lunar flyby Monday, April 6.
Swooping around the moon's far side, the astronauts aboard Orion are expected to travel farther from Earth than any humans ever have – surpassing the record of 248,655 miles set in 1970 during the infamous Apollo 13 mission. Whizzing by the moon up to 6,000 miles above the surface, the astronauts will also glimpse the celestial body's full disk, seeing sights that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed.
While they won't be landing, their observations and the data they collect will be vital as NASA prepares to return humans to the lunar surface as early as 2028.
After making their closest approach to the moon, the astronauts will prepare to pilot the Orion spacecraft back to Earth's orbit, where Friday, April 10, they will reenter our home planet's atmosphere for a parachute-assisted water landing near San Diego off the coast of California.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here's how to track the Artemis II astronauts ahead of lunar flyby
Source: “AOL Breaking”
