Artemis II Flight Path Animations

This artist’s concept depicts the nominal trajectory for NASA’s Artemis II test flight, an approximately 10-day mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and back. The agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orion will fly two orbits of Earth and then venture around the Moon in a figure-eight pattern before returning to Earth.

Credit: NASA/JSC/Goddard

ARTEMIS II LUNAR FLYBY COMPARISON

This artist’s concept compares the approximate altitude of the Orion capsule during Artemis II to the orbit of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been studying the Moon since 2009, and the average altitude of the seven Apollo missions that orbited the Moon between 1968 and 1972.

The astronauts are going to look at the Moon from a unique perspective during Artemis II, as they will be passing by at a much higher altitude (between 4,000 and 6,000 miles from the surface) compared to the Apollo missions (~70 miles from the surface) and LRO (~30 miles). As a result, the astronauts will see the entire disk of the Moon, including areas near the north and south poles.  At closest approach, the Moon will appear to the Artemis II crew to be about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.

Credit: NASA Goddard/CI Lab

ARTEMIS II LUNAR FLYBY COMPARISON – NO LABELS

Credit: NASA Goddard/CI Lab

ARTEMIS II LUNAR FLYBY COMPARISON – STILL IMAGE

This artist’s concept compares the approximate altitude of the Orion capsule during Artemis II to the orbit of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been studying the Moon since 2009, and the average altitude of the seven Apollo missions that orbited the Moon between 1968 and 1972.

Credit: NASA Goddard/CI Lab/Jonathan North