For the first time in over half a century, astronauts will travel around the Moon on Monday as part of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission — a landmark moment in modern space exploration.

The flyby marks a major milestone in humanity’s return to deep space and will be broadcast live to audiences around the globe.

Live coverage of the flyby

The seven-hour flyby is scheduled to begin at approximately 2:45 p.m. Eastern Time (18:45 GMT) and conclude around 9:20 p.m. (01:20 GMT).

Viewers will be able to watch the event live via NASA’s official website, as well as streaming platforms including YouTube, Amazon and Netflix. Commentary will come from both the astronauts onboard and mission specialists at Mission Control in Houston.

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However, due to the unprecedented distance from Earth — the furthest humans have ever travelled — NASA has warned that video quality may occasionally be disrupted.

A tense period of radio silence

During the mission, there will be a 40-minute communications blackout as the spacecraft passes behind the Moon, out of direct contact with Earth.

Astronomy professor Derek Buzasi described the moment as “exciting… in a slightly scary way”, recalling similar tension during the Apollo missions, when observers would anxiously await the crew’s return to contact.

Breaking new ground in spaceflight

Artemis 2 represents several historic firsts. The crew includes the first woman, Christina Koch, the first Black astronaut, Victor Glover, and the first non-American, Jeremy Hansen, to travel to the Moon.

Previously, only astronauts from the Apollo era — all white American men — made the journey between 1968 and 1972.

The mission will also set a new record for the furthest distance travelled by humans, surpassing the Apollo 13 mission record by 6,600 kilometres. At its peak, the spacecraft will reach around 406,772 kilometres from Earth.

A distant view of the Moon

Unlike the Apollo missions, which passed roughly 110 kilometres above the lunar surface, Artemis 2 will maintain a much greater distance — about 6,500 kilometres at its closest point.

Rather than entering orbit, the spacecraft will swing around the Moon in a carefully calculated trajectory. This vantage point will allow astronauts to view the Moon in its entirety, including polar regions rarely seen before.

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From their perspective, the Moon is expected to appear roughly the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.

Exploring the Moon’s far side

The crew will also pass over the Moon’s far side — a region never visible from Earth.

While Apollo astronauts experienced this passage, they were too close to observe the full landscape. Artemis 2’s distance will provide a broader view, allowing astronauts to study areas previously only captured by robotic missions.

Their observations are expected to contribute valuable insights into the Moon’s geology and the history of the solar system.

Witnessing a rare solar eclipse

Toward the end of the flyby, the astronauts will experience a rare celestial event: a solar eclipse lasting around 53 minutes.

As the spacecraft aligns with the Moon and the Sun, the solar disc will be completely obscured, revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere — the corona — as a glowing halo.

The crew will also watch for flashes of light caused by meteorite impacts on the Moon’s surface.

The mission may also recreate one of the most iconic images in space history — the “Earthrise” photograph captured during the Apollo 8 mission.