I Built an Artemis II Live Tracker — and Hosted a Watch Party

NASA's first crewed lunar mission since Apollo deserved more than a YouTube stream.

What Is Artemis II?

Artemis II is NASA's first crewed lunar flyby mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Orion spacecraft carries astronauts on a trajectory around the Moon and back — a 218-hour journey that tests every system needed for humanity's return to the lunar surface.

This isn't a landing. It's a proof-of-concept at the edge of deep space. And it's happening now.

Why I Built the Tracker

I wanted something better than refreshing NASA's website every 10 minutes. Something that felt like mission control — not a press release.

So I built a real-time tracking dashboard at artemis.yprateek.com that brings together:

Interactive 3D Earth-Orion trajectory visualization — watch the spacecraft move in real-time
Live systems status — Communications, Power, Guidance & Navigation, Life Support (ECLSS), Thermal Control — all showing nominal/off-nominal
NASA Live TV stream — embedded directly, no tab-switching
Radio feed — listen to mission comms
Splashdown countdown — the moment everyone's waiting for
Lunar flyby progress — percentage complete with next event tracking

The Watch Party

What's the point of tracking a Moon mission alone?

I hosted a watch party — friends, family, fellow space nerds — all following along on the tracker. Real-time updates. Live reactions. The kind of shared experience that makes space exploration feel personal.

There's something about watching humans orbit the Moon together, in real-time, from your living room. It hits different than reading about it the next morning.

The Tech

Built as a web app. Real-time data. 3D visualization. Responsive — works on phone, tablet, desktop. No login required. Just open the link and you're in mission control.

Check it out: artemis.yprateek.com

Why This Matters

We're living in the generation that returns to the Moon. Not as spectators watching grainy footage decades later — but as participants, tracking every second in real-time.

Artemis II is the beginning. Artemis III lands on the surface. And after that — we stay.

I wanted to be part of that story, even from Toronto. Building the tracker was my way in.

If you're reading this before splashdown — open the tracker. Watch it live. Be part of it.

Some moments deserve more than a headline the next day.