The Artemis II crew is nearly halfway to the moon on Day 3 of the historic mission, NASA said in an update Friday evening.
The crew aboard the Orion spacecraft will take a 685,000-mile journey around the moon, also known as a lunar fly-by, during which they will conduct scientific observations of the moon's surface, NASA said.
A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026.
Reid Wiseman/NASA
Apr 03, 2026, 5:14 PM EDT
NASA gives preview of upcoming lunar flyby
During Friday's press conference, NASA leaders gave a preview of the Artemis II crew's upcoming lunar flyby.
On Saturday, the crew will take a selfie of the spacecraft and test some thruster flight modes on Orion.
On Monday, during the six-hour lunar observation period when the crew is on the far side of the moon, the astronauts will be at their closest approach to the lunar surface.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch participates in the daily planning conference in Orion spacecraft as it heads to the moon, April 3, 2026.
NASA
They will be making visual observations as well as photographs and video. The observation period will begin at around 2:30 p.m. ET, NASA said.
The blackout period, when the crew is behind the moon and loses communications with Mission Control, is expected to last about 40 minutes.
When asked if there is reason to worry about the astronauts when they are behind the moon and out of contact with Earth, Judd Frieling, Artemis flight director, said, "Physics takes over and physics will absolutely get us back to the front side of the moon."
-ABC News' Matthew Glasser
Apr 03, 2026, 5:14 PM EDT
NASA says Artemis II crew 'really excited about this opportunity’
During a press conference on Friday, NASA leaders said the Artemis II crew is in "great spirits" and "really excited about the opportunity to be there and what's going on."
Orion's navigation and propulsion systems are performing so well that thew crew will not perform the planned trajectory burn scheduled for this evening, NASA said.
CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen participates in the daily planning conference in Orion spacecraft as it heads to the moon, April 3, 2026.
NASA
"I think it's really good to see that we don't need these minor correction burns. It shows that our navigation performance and our ability to get ranging has been outstanding," Howard Hu, program manager for the Orion spacecraft, said
On Friday, the astronauts spent some time conducting a "noise characterization" assessment of the toilet's noise levels.
The crew also had time to exercise and did a CPR demonstration. NASA said the astronauts are conducting a medical kit evaluation and will test emergency communications with the Deep Space Network.
-ABC News' Matthew Glasser
Apr 03, 2026, 1:41 PM EDT
Artemis II crew awakes to 'In a Daydream'
The Artemis II astronauts woke up around 1:00 p.m. ET on day 3 of their mission to the moon.
"Whenever you want to do some wake-up music, we can do some post-wake-up music," mission commander Reid Wiseman told Mission Control.
A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026.
Reid Wiseman/NASA
NASA's Mission Control in Houston played "In a Daydream" by the Freddy Jones Band.
Day 3 will include demonstrating CPR procedures in space and checking out some of Orion's medical kit, including the thermometer, blood pressure monitor, stethoscope and otoscope, according to NASA.
A view of a backlit Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026.
Reid Wiseman/NASA
The crew will also begin to configure the cabin for its upcoming lunar flyby so it has the most ideal setup for capturing images and data of the far side of the moon.
Additionally, the Artemis II astronauts will be doing a Deep Space Network emergency communications test make sure the system works.