Artemis II astronauts regain connection with Earth after Moon fly-by
The four astronauts reestablished contact after a 40-minute blackout and sent back images and observations from the Moon’s far side.
- On Monday, the Artemis II Orion spacecraft passed behind the Moon, triggering a planned 40-minute communications blackout as the lunar body blocked direct radio signals to Earth.
- Orion relies on direct radio communication with NASA's Deep Space Network, which the Moon physically obscures during far-side flybys, creating the signal loss.
- During the blackout, the four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—conducted science observations and captured rare photos, having recently surpassed the 1970 Apollo 13 distance record.
- Contact resumed at 7:25 p.m. ET as the spacecraft reemerged, with astronaut Koch confirming that communications with NASA's Mission Control had successfully resumed.
- The mission validates critical life-support, propulsion, and navigation systems, supporting NASA's broader goal of returning humans to the lunar surface before 2028.
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94 Articles
Trump Has Call With Moon Astronauts So Awkward That They May Turn Around and Disappear Into the Void of Space
On Monday, four astronauts on the Artemis II mission slipped behind the Moon — and, in doing so, traveled farther from Earth than any prior human being in history. They also, unfortunately, experienced one of the most skin-crawlingly awkward interactions in the entire solar system. During their trip behind the Moon, which brought them 248,655 miles from Earth, the Integrity spacecraft lost contact with ground control in an expected communication…
The world held its breath when the Orion spacecraft lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes. During a planned silence while the craft was on the far side of the Moon, the Artemis II crew successfully completed a historic flyby. The deathly silence was broken only when the signal returned.
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