Artemis II crew prepare for historic moon flyby.

The Artemis II crew is approaching the Moon and preparing to enter the lunar sphere of influence as they ready photography and geology observations; NASA reported the spacecraft was about 271,979 kilometres from Earth and 178,154 kilometres from the Moon upon waking.

The Artemis II crew is nearing the Moon on a roughly 10-day mission and preparing for a close flyby and scientific observations. NASA reported the astronauts woke about 271,979 kilometres from Earth and about 178,154 kilometres from the Moon. The mission team said the spacecraft is expected to enter the lunar sphere of influence overnight Sunday into Monday, when the Moon's gravity will become dominant. Crew activities include photographing and describing lunar surface features while preparing for a slingshot around the Moon. Key details: - NASA reported distances at wakeup of about 271,979 kilometres from Earth and 178,154 kilometres from the Moon. - The next major milestone is entry into the lunar sphere of influence, expected overnight Sunday into Monday. - The four-person crew includes Commander Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. - Activities planned include a manual piloting demonstration by Victor Glover and a checklist of photography and geology observations to document lunar features. - The crew reported their first view of the Moon's far side and transmitted new images; NASA noted some regions seen by humans for the first time. - A wastewater dump attempt likely failed due to an ice blockage; the crew has used backup urinal bags while troubleshooting continues. Summary: The mission is focused on capturing new imagery and performance data as Artemis II approaches and swings around the Moon, a phase that could take the crew farther from Earth than previous human missions. The immediate next step is entry into the lunar sphere of influence overnight Sunday into Monday, followed by the planned lunar flyby and the manual piloting test. Teams are also addressing a spacecraft wastewater issue while continuing routine mission operations. Additional steps are undetermined at this time.