Artemis II crew to answer media's questions tonight amid yet another busy day aboard Orion

The crew will make preparations for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on April 10, 2026.
BY PRANJAL NATH
PUBLISHED APR 8, 2026
Members of the Artemis II flight crew besides Victor Glover during the CSA downlink event on April 5, 2026. (Cover Image Source: NASA)
Members of the Artemis II flight crew besides Victor Glover during the CSA downlink event on April 5, 2026. (Cover Image Source: NASA)

NASA has announced that the flight crew of Artemis II will address questions from the media at 9:45 pm EDT today, April 8, 2026. The whole interaction will be streamed live on NASA's YouTube channel, and an instant replay will also be made online. Currently, on their way back to Earth, they have successfully completed detailed lunar observations, some of which were made at a distance of just 4,067 miles. The virtual news conference has been scheduled to be 20 minutes long amid other activities planned for today.

From far left, CSA’s Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover during a live conversation with US President Trump following their historic lunar flyby during Day 6 of Artemis II. (Image Source: NASA)
From far left, CSA’s Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover during a live conversation with US President Trump following their historic lunar flyby during Day 6 of Artemis II. (Image Source: NASA)

Day 8 of the mission will feature tests to assess the crew’s ability to be able to shield themselves from space weather events like solar flares, which can carry a far greater radiation threat in the deep space environment. NASA's Space Weather Analysis Office at Goddard Space Flight Center has been tracking solar events throughout the duration of the mission so as to ensure that the crew is warned in time in case of a radiation event. Each of the astronauts also has a device called the Crew Active Dosimeter on their person to monitor exposure to radiation. In addition to this, a group of six active sensors, collectively referred to as the Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessors, has also been deployed across various locations inside the Orion crew module.

CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – in the center of the image – peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft on day 3 of NASA's Artemis II mission. (Image Source: NASA)
CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – in the center of the image – peers out the window of the Orion spacecraft on day 3 of NASA's Artemis II mission. (Image Source: NASA)

In order to shield themselves from radiation, the astronauts aboard Orion will need to add mass between themselves and the exposed area of the capsule. This can be done by simply shifting the stowed-away equipment to the area.

The practice of improvising with things on hand is not new on NASA missions. Apollo 17, the last crewed mission to the lunar surface, also featured an instance of using tape and maps to mend a broken fender of the lunar rover to protect it from lunar dust. Even during Artemis II’s journey towards the Moon, a conversation between mission controllers and Integrity involved teams in Houston asking the crew to cover up the Sun-facing windows with T-shirts. 

NASA astronaut Christina Koch, left, takes control of the Orion spacecraft during a manual piloting test on flight day 4 of the Artemis II mission. To her right is CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronaut Victor Glover. (Image Source: NASA)
Christina Koch, left, controls the Orion spacecraft during a manual piloting test on flight day 4 of the Artemis II mission. To her right is CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. (Image Source: NASA)

Later in the day, the crew will manually pilot Orion once again to test its handling capability. This will involve locking onto a target of choice through Orion’s windows, adjusting to a tail-to-Sun attitude, and performing attitude maneuvers. As things stand, the Artemis II crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego at around 8:07 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 10.

More on Starlust

All about Christina Koch, the first woman to fly around the Moon as part of Artemis II

'I said a little prayer': Artemis II's Victor Glover on his experience during the comms blackout

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