Where is Artemis 2 right now? Live track NASA’s moon mission

Artemis II and its crew are continuing to make their way towards the moon’s orbit in the Orion spacecraft.

On Thursday night, Orion’s main engine provided nearly 6,000 pounds of thrust to push the spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and on its way towards the moon’s orbit, where it will fly by the moon and then be brought back to Earth, NASA said.

Artemis II: Orion capsule heads to the moon

Dr. Don Platt, Director of Spaceport Education Center, joined FOX 35’s Garrett Wymer live via Zoom to talk about the recent developments of the Artemis II Lunar Mission, and the Orion capsule journey to the moon. 

“Orion’s main engine provides up to 6,000 pounds of thrust, enough to accelerate a car from 0 to 60 mph in about 2.7 seconds. At the time of the burn, Orion’s mass was 58,000 pounds and burned approximately 1,000 pounds of fuel during the firing.”

Video: See Artemis II’s engines thrust spacecraft to the moon

NASA illustration: Here’s how Artemis II gets from Earth to the moon – and back

Artemis II live tracker

NASA has created the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW), where people can track the Orion spacecraft in real time. Click here to see where the spacecraft and the Artemis II astronauts are. 

Watch live: NASA video feed from Orion spacecraft

Here is a live video feed from the Orion spacecraft.

“Viewers will see a blue screen if there is a loss of signal, or if the bandwidth is needed for mission activities. Viewers may see what appears to be a black screen when the vehicle is in darkness.”

Timeline: How long does it take to reach the moon?

NASA’s Artemis II mission will orbit Earth for a day, travel to the moon for a flyby beyond its far side, and then return along a free-return trajectory, culminating in Orion’s reentry and a Pacific Ocean splashdown.

An illustration showing the Artemis II mission. Credit: NASA

1. Earth orbit (Day 1): The Artemis II astronauts will orbit Earth for one day to confirm all spacecraft systems are functioning properly.
2. To the moon (Days 2–5): Orion’s main engine will fire to propel the capsule out of Earth orbit toward the moon, roughly 244,000 miles (393,000 kilometers) away.
3. Moon flyby (Day 6): Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth, passing about 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) beyond the moon. Astronauts are expected to document the flyby with cameras and smartphones before heading back to Earth.
4. Return (Days 6–9): Using a free-return trajectory, Orion will use the moon’s and Earth’s gravity to guide the spacecraft safely home.
5. Reentry: The service module separates, and the capsule re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, facing temperatures up to 3,000°F (1,650°C).
6. Splashdown: The Artemis II crew will parachute into the Pacific Ocean, completing the mission much like Apollo astronauts did decades ago.