Artemis II Crew Tests Orion Survival Suits Ahead of Lunar Flyby

The five‑day milestone of NASA’s Artemis II mission found the four‑person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen—midway through a critical series of suits tests.

Suit Evaluation in Zero‑G

Orbiting roughly 65,000 miles from the Moon, the astronauts performed leak checks, practiced entering the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit, and verified mobility, food‑and‑drink ports, and medication access. The bright orange suits, designed for launch, entry and emergency egress, behaved differently in weightlessness than during the 11 g launch rehearsal on the ground. Flight director Rick Henfling highlighted the importance of rehearsing suit donning in microgravity before the crew’s return‑to‑Earth re‑entry.

Preparing for the Moon Flyby

The suit drills were the first of the day’s objectives, followed by configuring the spacecraft’s seats and reviewing the upcoming lunar flyby itinerary. A special message from Apollo veteran Charlie Duke reminded the crew of the program’s heritage. The successful suit demonstration clears a key hurdle as Artemis II hurtles toward a six‑hour lunar pass scheduled for April 6, the first crewed flight around the Moon since 1972.