Artemis II Flight Day 4: Crew Completes Manual Piloting Demonstration

NASA says the Artemis II crew completed a manual piloting demonstration on flight day 4 as the mission continues toward its lunar flyby.

In its official update, NASA said Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen took turns controlling Orion for 41 minutes. The test checked two thruster modes and different control-axis modes as part of the mission’s systems checkout.

NASA also said the crew reviewed lunar surface features they are expected to photograph and analyze during the six-hour flyby planned for April 6, 2026.

The agency said Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover are scheduled to repeat the manual piloting demonstration on flight day 8, April 9.

The update marks another step in the first crewed Artemis mission as the astronauts move closer to their pass around the Moon. Corroborating coverage from Euronews, AP and Spaceflight Now matches NASA’s account of the test and the mission timeline.