NASA’s Artemis II mission is flying past the Moon today, and it could put a decades-long conspiracy theory to bed once and for all.
The four-person crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – launched on April 1 and are due back on Earth on April 10. It is the first time humans have travelled to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Netflix is live streaming the lunar flyby today, meaning anyone in the world can watch it happen in real time.
That’s significant, because for decades a stubborn conspiracy theory has claimed the Moon landings were faked. Former US Navy officer Bill Kaysing first pushed the idea in his 1976 book, arguing NASA staged the landings in a film studio to win the Space Race against the Soviets.
The theory has never gone away, with people still analysing NASA images and debating whether humans have ever truly left Earth’s orbit.
Today’s live broadcast could offer the clearest counter-argument yet.
Here’s what’s happening day by day:
April 3-4: The crew test communications and photograph Earth and the Moon from deep space.
April 5: The spacecraft enters the Moon’s gravitational sphere, meaning lunar gravity is now stronger than Earth’s pull.
April 6 (today): The big one. The crew fly around the far side of the Moon, breaking the record for the furthest humans have ever travelled from Earth. They’ll lose contact with ground control for around 40 minutes. Netflix streams the flyby live from 1pm EST (6pm BST).
April 7-9: The crew begin their return journey. April 7 is a rest day, while April 8 and 9 involve practicing emergency procedures and manually piloting the spacecraft.
April 10: Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, with NASA and the US Navy on standby to bring the crew home safely.
