Artemis II Astronauts Complete Lunar Flyby and Reestablish Contact After Communications Blackout

NASA's Artemis II mission crew reached a distance of more than 248,655 miles from Earth on April 6, exceeding the previous record set by Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. The four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen—flew aboard the Orion spacecraft, marking the farthest any humans have traveled from Earth.

The mission, launched on April 5, involves a 10-day journey around the moon without landing.

During the lunar flyby, the crew approached the moon's closest point, where Earth appeared to set over the lunar horizon. This phase included a 40-minute communications blackout as the moon temporarily obstructed signals to NASA's Deep Space Network, a global system of radio antennas.

The blackout occurred because the moon blocked direct line-of-sight communication with mission control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

After reestablishing contact, astronaut Christina Koch commented on the reconnection.

The crew observed the sun hidden by the moon for approximately one hour during the flyby. Mission commander Reid Wiseman addressed the achievement, noting the spacecraft's continued journey into space before returning to Earth.

“It’s so great to hear from Earth again.”

The Artemis II mission tests systems for future lunar landings, including Orion's life support and navigation. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Wiseman, Koch, and Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Hansen. This is the first crewed Artemis flight following uncrewed test missions.

The distance record was confirmed just before 2 p.m.

ET on April 6, as reported by USA Today. BNO News described the event as the farthest travel from Earth in human history, corroborated by multiple outlets. The mission highlights international cooperation, with participants from the United States and Canada.

NASA communications included a reference to the catchphrase 'Amaze, Amaze, Amaze' from the film Rocky, mentioned to the Artemis II crew, as noted by DiscussingFilm. The flyby provided new views of the moon's far side, unseen by previous human eyes from such proximity.

The spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth after completing its orbital path.