Artemis II Crew Regains Contact After 40 Minutes
NASA via AP
Contact with NASA’s Artemis II astronauts was restored Monday after the crew spent about 40 minutes out of communication with Mission Control while passing behind the moon during their lunar flyby. The temporary blackout occurred as their spacecraft moved to the far side of the moon, cutting off radio signals with Earth.
During that period without contact, the astronauts reached their closest point to the moon, passing within about 4,067 miles of its surface. They also traveled farther from Earth than at any previous moment in the mission, reaching a distance of roughly 252,756 miles. According to NASA, that distance puts the crew about 4,111 miles farther from Earth than the astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission traveled in 1970.
Before communications were lost, pilot Victor Glover shared a message with those back on Earth. He said that even though they would soon be unable to hear from the ground, they would still feel the support coming from people around the world and that the crew would reconnect once they emerged from behind the moon.
After the spacecraft returned to a position where radio signals could reach Earth again, mission specialist Christina Koch spoke with Mission Control from inside the Orion capsule. She said it was wonderful to hear from Earth again and noted that people in Asia, Africa, and Oceania could likely see the moon in their night sky at that moment. Koch added that while humanity pushes outward to explore space, Earth remains the place people ultimately choose and value most. She spoke about future possibilities such as building spacecraft, creating scientific outposts on the moon, operating rovers, conducting radio astronomy, and developing new industries connected to space exploration.
The four astronauts are currently traveling in a loop around the moon as part of preparations for future missions that will attempt a lunar landing. During the journey, the crew briefly paused their observation duties for about an hour of rest. Another notable event on the mission is expected soon, when they are scheduled to watch a total solar eclipse from the far side of the moon beginning at 8:35 p.m.
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