Inside the Orion spacecraft — astronauts working in deep space on their way to the Moon. This is the view from inside humanity’s most advanced crewed spacecraft, currently 200,000+ miles from Earth. (Artist impression)

Right now, as you read this, four human beings are travelling through deep space towards the Moon. They launched 4 days ago. They will fly within 6,000 miles of the lunar surface tomorrow — April 6, 2026 — for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. This is not a drill. This is really happening.

What Just Happened — The Launch That Changed Everything

On April 1, 2026 at 6:35 PM Eastern Time, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket — the most powerful rocket ever built — lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard the Orion spacecraft were four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen.

Within 49 minutes of launch, the upper stage fired to place Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. Then came the critical moment: the Translunar Injection burn — a six-minute engine firing that broke the spacecraft free from Earth’s gravitational hold and sent it hurtling toward the Moon. It was the first time humans had departed Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Earth — seen through the Orion spacecraft window from deep space. This is what the Artemis II crew saw after completing their Translunar Injection burn on April 2, 2026, becoming the first humans to leave Earth’s orbit in 54 years. Africa and the Indian Ocean visible below the clouds. (Artist impression based on mission imagery)

Commander Reid Wiseman’s words from the moment of launch have already become iconic. As the rocket rose and the Moon appeared in the window, he said simply: “We have a beautiful moonrise. We’re heading right at it.”

Meet the 4 Astronauts Who Are at the Moon Right Now

Every one of the four astronauts aboard Orion is making history. This mission sets multiple records simultaneously — a first for a woman, a first for a person of colour, a first for a non-American, and a first for someone of Wiseman’s age to travel beyond low Earth orbit.

The Artemis II crew — (left to right) Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — pictured in their orange NASA launch and entry suits. Each member of this crew is setting a record no human has set before. (Illustration)

The Complete Mission — What Happened Each Day

Here is the full Artemis II mission timeline, updated to today — April 5, 2026, Mission Day 4:

The Moon Flyby Tomorrow — What Will Actually Happen

Tomorrow, April 6, is the day everyone has been waiting for. Orion will use a free-return trajectory — a giant figure-eight path that uses the Moon’s gravity to slingshot the spacecraft back toward Earth without needing a major engine burn. At closest approach, the four astronauts will be approximately 4,000 to 6,000 miles from the Moon’s surface.

The lunar surface — a world of ancient craters, ridges, and deep shadows. This is what the Artemis II crew will see from their windows tomorrow, April 6, when Orion passes within 6,000 miles of the Moon. The crew will photograph these exact features, including parts of the far side never seen directly by human eyes. The low-angle sunlight creates extreme shadows that reveal depth invisible in photos taken from Earth.

Why This Moment Matters So Much

For 54 years after Apollo, the Moon sat there — visible to everyone on Earth, 238,855 miles away, unchanged. We did not go back. Generation after generation grew up being told that humans had been to the Moon without ever seeing it happen themselves. Today’s 50-year-olds were born before the last Moon landing.

Artemis II is the proof that we are going back. It is not just a test flight — though it is technically that. It is the moment humanity demonstrates that the equipment works, the systems work, the life support works, and that humans can survive in deep space beyond Earth’s magnetic field.

Artemis II vs Apollo — How Do They Compare?

What Comes After — The Road to Moon Landing 2028

What This Means for India and ISRO

India is not watching this from the sidelines. ISRO is actively preparing for its own human spaceflight moment. The Gaganyaan programme is targeting India’s first uncrewed test flight this year, with a crewed mission planned for 2027. India has already contributed — astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla flew to the ISS as part of Axiom Mission 4 in 2025, India’s first human spaceflight since Rakesh Sharma in 1984.

Quick Facts — Everything in One Place

The Bigger Picture

Tomorrow, April 6, 2026, four people will fly past the Moon. They will look out of a spacecraft window and see the lunar surface scrolling past — with their own eyes, from closer than any human has been since December 1972. This is a moment worth paying attention to. Whatever happens on the Moon in the years ahead — the landing in 2028, the base in the 2030s, the Mars missions in the 2040s — begins with this week.

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