TTT3 Telescope Successfully Tracks NASA's Artemis II Mission

The Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT3) at the Teide Observatory in Spain successfully captured images of NASA's Orion spacecraft during its Artemis II mission on April 3, 2026, while the craft was approximately 65,000 km from Earth. The spacecraft traveled at a speed of 10,800 km/h and was observed using the FERVOR-M instrument, which performed a sequence of 200 exposures.

Artemis II represents NASA's first crewed mission in the Artemis program with four astronauts aboard, executing a free-return trajectory around the Moon. The TTT3's tracking capabilities highlight its potential in monitoring artificial objects in the cislunar space, which is increasingly significant for strategic and scientific endeavors. The system's high-speed orientation and sub-arcsecond astrometric precision position it as a vital asset for space surveillance and planetary defense.