Artemis II performs closest moon flyby amid communication loss

RT.com
07 Apr 2026, 05:15 GMT+10

The four astronauts of NASAs Artemis II mission have ventured farther from Earth than any humans before them

The Orion spacecraft, carrying three NASA astronauts and a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, performed its long-awaited lunar flyby, coming within roughly 4,070 miles (6,550 km) of the lunar surface and entering the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence.

In a planned and highly anticipated phase of the journey, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with the crew at around 6:43pm ET for approximately 40 minutes. The communication blackout occurred as the Moon's body blocked radio and laser signals between the Earth-based Deep Space Network and the Orion spacecraft.

While out of contact, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, focused on their scientific objectives, photographing and observing the lunar far side - including the 600-mile-wide Orientale basin.

The mission's defining moment also saw the crew break a 56-year-old record, surpassing the 248,655-mile mark set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

"On the far side of the Moon, 252,756 miles away, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy have now traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history and now begin their journey home," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement on X.

The flyby marks a crucial test for NASA as the agency prepares for future lunar landings, with the capsule now on a four-day return trajectory.

(RT.com)

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