Landsec’s Piccadilly Lights in London marks another historic milestone in space exploration, broadcasting a livestream of the Artemis II lunar flyby as it happens at 9.30pm BST on Monday 6^th April.

Live pictures from NASA will be shown on the 783.5m² large format screen in Piccadilly Circus for 30 minutes. The livestream is a collaboration between NASA, Landsec and Ocean Outdoor. 

This is the first time in more than half a century that a crewed space mission has been sent to the moon. Four astronauts are flying aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the mission taking them deeper into space than ever before. The tiny minivan size spacecraft will travel around the far side of the moon before returning home.

The Piccadilly Lights livestream is expected to show incredible views of the moon and the Earth from the blackness of space, as Orion makes its loop before using the moon’s gravity to head back to Earth. The 10 day Artemis II mission is aimed at paving the way for a moon landing in 2028.

Derek Manns, head of commercialisation, Landsec, said: “Moments that advance human exploration carry profound cultural significance, and the Artemis II flyby is the greatest modern example of this. Through its partnership with NASA, Piccadilly Lights is giving audiences in London the chance to experience a defining moment in real time as it unfolds above them.” 

Landsec and NASA are working with Ocean Labs, Ocean Outdoor’s brand experience and innovation team, to bring the live visuals to Piccadilly Lights.

Melanie Blood, head of Ocean Labs UK, said: “There’s something incredibly cool about being able to beam a lunar flyby as it happens directly into central London. It’s never been done before, and I can’t think of a better way to showcase the livestreaming capabilities of Britain’s biggest Digital Out of Home landmark.” 

In 2021, the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars was livestreamed for 60 minutes, and Piccadilly Lights streamed it as it happened. The broadcast included the seven minute entry descent and landing followed by the first still images from the surface of Mars as the rover started its mission. Remarkably, it took just 10 minutes for radio signals to reach Piccadilly Circus from Mars.

Piccadilly Lights is the UK’s biggest Digital Out of Home (DOOH) screen. The curved LED advertising landmark sits at the intersection of Piccadilly Circus in London’s West End.