NASA's Artemis II mission is set to bring its four crew members close to the moon for seven hours today. (NASA via Getty Images)

Watch NASA's Artemis II mission fly by the moon

· Yahoo Tech
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Five days after its launch, NASA’s Artemis II mission is finally set to reach the moon today (April 6). While the four-person crew won’t touch down on the lunar surface as part of this mission, they will fly by the Earth’s nearest neighbor, coming to a distance of around 4,000 miles at its closest point. The lunar observation period is expected to last about seven hours, and you can follow along with our live blog here.

We’ve also embedded NASA’s broadcast below, which is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). Here’s a look at what NASA says to expect for the timeline of events:

  • 1:56 p.m. EDT (1756 UTC): Artemis II crew surpasses the Apollo 13 distance record
  • 2:45 p.m. EDT (1845 UTC): Lunar observation period begins
  • 6:47 p.m. EDT (2247 UTC): Predicted loss of communications as Artemis II heads behind the moon (roughly 40 minutes)
  • 7:02 p.m. EDT (2302 UTC): Artemis II's closest approach to the Moon
  • 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 UTC): Artemis II reaches its furthest distance from Earth

This is the first time in more than 50 years that humans have flown near the moon, so we’re expecting to get some spectacular views. During the mission, the Artemis II crew will see parts of the moon that no human has witnessed before, including the poles of the far side. They may also see the Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 landing sites during observation.

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Tune in here at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) for the start of NASA’s coverage. If you’d like to follow along with our live blog, we’re set to start at 1:15 p.m. ET (10:15 a.m. PT).