S
8:45 pm CEST Lunar observation period begins 12:47 am CEST Loss of communications (estimated 40-min.) 1:02 am CEST Closest approach to the moon 3:20 am CEST Lunar observation period ends
https://www.space.com/news/live/artemis-2-nasa-moon-mission-updates-april-6-2026
The #Moon orbits #Earth at a speed of 3,683 km/h. A #spacecraft travels 386,400 km to reach the Moon. Twelve #astronauts walked 
on the Moon between 1969 and 1972 https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/176--How-fast-does-the-Moon-travel-around-Earth-
#SpaceWeather : #Sun 
️ activity jumped to moderate over the past day, with 24 total flares. Three of them were M, or moderate flares, and one was edging up toward being an X flare
Forecast:
April 4 we might get more G1-G2 (minor-moderate) #geomagnetic storms April 5 possibly with more G1 enhancements April 6 unsettled-to-active conditions as effects from the solar wind stream and #CME start to subside
The far side of the #moon 
illuminated ️ (July 5, 2016) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Photos_of_Earth_system_by_spacecraft
Are we there yet ? 
#NASA’s #Artemis real-time orbit website https://www.nasa.gov/missions/artemis-ii/arow/
The #spacesuits on #Artemis II should be able to sustain astronauts for up to six days. Once Artemis II is on its way to the #Moon 
, the mission’s trajectory is designed to bring it back to Earth even if Orion hits a snag.
Artemis I : During Orion’s return through Earth’s atmosphere, material from the capsule’s heatshield had broken off in chunks. There was a similarly problematic heatshield already installed on the crew capsule for Artemis II https://www.planetary.org/articles/whats-keeping-the-artemis-astronauts-safe
Live coverage of #Artemis II's lunar flyby will stream on this feed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs
01:07 CEST
Flight controllers in Houston have confirmed that all four solar arrays were deployed successfully
https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2026/apr/01/artemis-ii-launch-nasa-orion-moon-trip-live-updates
Unlike the easily predictable #radiation 
️ exposures from flying through the Van Allen Belts or basking in the background flux of #galactic 
cosmic rays, the dose an #astronaut gets from #solar ️ activity can vary enormously. Predicting #SpaceWeather remains a decidedly inexact 
#science. High-energy #protons and #ions can tear through metal and flesh alike, damaging #DNA and other delicate cellular machinery. Typically, these showers are linked to #CME https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/space-weather-could-threaten-nasas-artemis-ii-astronauts-during-their-trip/
#SpaceWeather : The chance for strong flares ️ increased to 20%. The main driver is active region #AR4405
Forecast:
April 1: A #CME may provoke enhancements up to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storming late today
April 2: G1 (minor) #geomagnetic storm levels expected
April 3: Unsettled to active conditions may occur. A chance of G1 (minor) storm intervals exists if the next coronal hole’s fast solar wind stream arrives earlier than expected
Live Updates for #Artemis II
11:25 a.m. ET (5:25 pm CEST)
The hydrogen tank on the second or upper stage of the #SLS rocket is now full too
12:50 p.m. ET (6:50 pm CEST)
All of the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks are now full. That allows the close-out crews to go to the pad for final preparations there. The astronauts are to head to the launchpad in about an hour
6:26 p.m. ET (12:26 am CEST)
The countdown has resumed. Counting down for 6:35 p.m. Eastern time
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/01/science/moon-nasa-artemis-launch
RE: https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/116329596689333996
Preparations for filling the rocket with propellant will begin about 11 hours before launch. The launch team will ramp up flow rates to “fast fill” mode on both tanks sometime around 9:00 am EDT (3:00 pm CEST). This will be one of the most critical 
phases of the countdown
#NASA's #Artemis II two-hour launch window starts at 12:24 am CEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo
Sometimes such flares ️ are accompanied by outbursts of high-energy radiation ️ particles, which can travel near the speed of light and would easily penetrate space vehicle shielding 
️. High energy #radiation particles can be a cause of malfunctions in computers and electronics, and they also pose #health risks for #astronauts 🧑
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/news/solar-flare-prompts-close-monitoring-space-weather-ahead-artemis-ii-launch
#RadiationProtection #HumanSpaceflight #SpaceWeather #Artemis #NASA
️ 30 March 2026 The eruption came from a magnetically complex #sunspot group now rotating further into Earth's view — meaning any continued activity could have more direct impacts ️ on Earth and #Artemis 2 https://www.space.com/astronomy/sun/powerful-x-class-solar-flare-triggers-radio-blackout-ahead-of-artemis-2-launch
#Artemis II 80% go for launch Thursday April 2, 2026 12:24 AM CEST https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/116/
#NASA says the #Artemis II crew can ... move equipment 
️ around within the capsule to effectively thicken its walls in the direction from which the #SolarStorm is coming
