Mission event countdowns
Shows live countdowns to major Artemis II mission events, including the lunar flyby and return milestones described in the source.
Artemis II Lunar Countdown
Artemis II Lunar Countdown is a macOS menu bar app that tracks NASA’s Artemis II mission with live countdowns, mission phases, MET, crew information, and timeline context. It is built with SwiftUI and uses publicly available NASA mission updates.
Overview
Artemis II Lunar Countdown is a macOS menu bar app for following NASA’s Artemis II mission in real time. It combines live countdowns, mission phase tracking, mission elapsed time, crew information, and a space-themed Earth-Moon-Orion timeline in a compact desktop utility.
The app is built with SwiftUI and uses publicly available NASA mission pages and updates as its data source. According to the release notes and README, it is self-distributed for macOS, with source build instructions available in the Xcode project for users who want to run it locally.
Core features
Mission phase tracking
Summarizes the current Artemis II phase, including outbound, lunar flyby, return leg, re-entry, and splashdown.
Mission elapsed time (MET)
Displays mission elapsed time so users can see how far the mission has progressed since launch.
Crew and mission reference
Includes the Artemis II crew roster and mission context directly in the menu bar view.
Timeline view
Uses a space-themed Earth-Moon-Orion progress view to present the mission timeline visually.
Native macOS menu bar app
Built as a menu bar-only macOS app with SwiftUI for quick at-a-glance checking.
Common use cases
Follow Artemis II during daily desktop work
Keep the mission visible while working on a Mac, with countdowns and phase status available from the menu bar instead of a separate full-screen app.
Monitor key mission events at a glance
Check the next lunar flyby or return milestone quickly without opening multiple NASA pages or mission trackers.
Build or test the app from source
Use the repository and Xcode project to inspect the app, run it locally, or adapt it for your own workflow.
Review mission context from public NASA sources
Rely on the NASA-sourced update links and mission context when you want a compact reference for the latest public Artemis II information.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Provides a focused at-a-glance view in the macOS menu bar.
- Combines countdowns, phase status, MET, crew data, and timeline context in one place.
- Uses publicly available NASA mission pages and updates as its data source.
- Includes build-from-source instructions in the repository for local use.
Cons
- It is limited to macOS 13 or later.
- Because it is self-distributed and unsigned, macOS may block it on first launch.
- The source does not indicate a web, iOS, or cross-platform version.
FAQ
How do I get and run the app?
The app is a self-distributed macOS menu bar app built with SwiftUI. The README says to download the latest macOS release, and the source build instructions require opening the Xcode project in Xcode and running it on My Mac.
What are the system requirements?
The source notes list macOS 13 or later as the requirement, and the README recommends Xcode 15 or later for building from source.
Where does the mission data come from?
It tracks NASA’s Artemis II mission using publicly available mission pages and updates, including mission coverage announcements, live updates, the Artemis II mission page, and the Track Artemis page.
Why might macOS warn me when I open it?
The release notes say macOS may block the app on first launch because it is self-distributed and not signed with an Apple Developer certificate. The README gives the standard Open/Allow Anyway and quarantine-flag removal steps if needed.
Is this a web app or mobile app?
Yes. The app is described as a macOS menu bar-only app, so it is intended for Apple desktop systems rather than mobile or web use.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Developer Tool
- Platform
- macOS
- App type
- Menu bar app
- Build stack
- SwiftUI
- Source domain
- github.com
- Pricing
- Free/open-source repository; no paid app pricing stated
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