Ce sera l'apogée de leur mission : Les quatre astronautes d'Artémis 2 seront ce lundi 6 avril à 18H45 GMT les premiers humains à voler autour de la Lune depuis 1972.

Infos de la NASA

1 p.m.: Official NASA broadcast of the Artemis II flight around the Moon. Stream on YouTube, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Netflix, NASA+

Live coverage of lunar flyby begins at 1 p.m. and continues through 9:45 p.m.  

1:30 p.m.: NASA will host a conversation between the Artemis II crew and the science officer from the agency’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston, discussing mission objectives and the lunar flyby timeline. Because the Sun’s angle on the Moon shifts by about one degree every two hours, the crew could not know the exact lighting conditions to expect on the lunar surface until after launch. This briefing provides one final opportunity to review details before the flyby begins. 

1:56 p.m.: The Artemis II crew is expected surpass the record previously set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970 for the farthest humans have ever traveled from Earth.  The Apollo 13 crew traveled 248,655 miles from Earth; Artemis II will reach a maximum distance of 252,757 miles from Earth, surpassing the record by about 4,102 miles. The crew is expected to make remarks on the milestone around 2:10 p.m. 

2:45 p.m.: The seven-hour lunar observation period begins. The Artemis II crew will see both the near and far sides of the Moon as the observation period begins.  Because room at the spacecraft’s windows is limited, the crew will divide into pairs, with two crew members observing for 55 to 85 minutes, while the pair exercises or completes on other tasks.  

6:41 p.m.: Mission control expects to temporarily lose communication with the Artemis II crew as the Orion spacecraft passes behind the Moon. 

7:00 p.m.: Astronauts will make their closest approach to the Moon, the reach its farthest point from Earth at 7:05 p.m.  At this distance, the Moon will appear to the astronauts about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length. They also may be the first humans to see some parts of the Moon’s far side with the unaided eye.  The Artemis II crew will reach their maximum distance from Earth during the mission.

7:21 p.m.: NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston is expected to re-acquire communication with the Artemis II crew.

8:36 p.m.: The Orion spacecraft enters period with Moon eclipsing the Sun.

9:35 p.m.: Artemis II flyby observation period wraps. Crew will begin transferring imagery to ground.