Lost in Space? Artemis II crew face 40-minute comms blackout as crew pushes beyond human limits

The Artemis II mission has entered its return journey to Earth after completing one of the most historic moments in modern space exploration. The four astronauts aboard Orion are now heading home after travelling farther from Earth than any human in history and enduring a tense 40-minute communications blackout during their lunar flyby.

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For nearly an hour, the crew disappeared from contact with mission control as they moved behind the far side of the Moon — a planned but emotionally charged phase of the mission. During that period, they were completely cut off from Earth while taking in views no human crew has ever witnessed in this way.

The mission has already become one of the most remarkable human spaceflight achievements in decades, filled with record-breaking milestones and powerful emotional moments, as per a report by The US Sun.

The Artemis II astronauts are now on their four-day journey back home after completing a breathtaking flyby of the Moon that pushed human exploration farther into space than ever before.

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What happened during the blackout?

The most dramatic moment of the mission came at 11.44pm on Monday night, when the crew passed behind the far side of the Moon and lost all communication with Earth for 40 minutes, as per a report by The US Sun.

Because the far side of the Moon is not visible from Earth, the blackout was unavoidable.

For those tense minutes, the four astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen — were entirely alone in deep space.

Just before the signal cut, pilot Victor Glover sent a heartfelt message to mission control.

“To all of you down there, we love you from the Moon.”

NASA communications responded, “Houston copies, we’ll see you on the other side."

Glover then replied, “We will see you on the other side.”

During the blackout, the crew spent their time taking photographs, studying the Moon’s geology, recording audio observations and simply taking in the extraordinary view.

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As the spacecraft emerged from behind the Moon, Christina Koch delivered another memorable line.

“To Asia, Africa and Oceania, we are looking back at you. Here you can look up and see the moon right now. We see you too.”

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How did Artemis II break records?

The mission set a new record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from Earth. The Orion capsule reached 252,756 miles, surpassing the 248,655-mile record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Earlier in the mission, the astronauts reportedly cried and embraced after learning they had officially broken the long-standing Apollo record. Jeremy Hansen marked the moment with an emotional message to mission control, as per a report by The US Sun.

“From the cabin of Integrity, we surpass the farthest distance humans have ever travelled from Planet Earth."

He continued, “We do so in honouring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even farther into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything we hold dear."

And then added a challenge for future generations, "But we most importantly use this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”

The mission also included another first — the Artemis II crew became the first humans ever to witness a solar eclipse from space. Wearing special glasses, the astronauts captured stunning images of the event, which was not visible from Earth.

What emotional moments defined the mission?

Among the most touching moments of the journey was the announcement that a newly discovered lunar crater would be named after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer in 2020.

Jeremy Hansen’s voice reportedly cracked as he spoke about her.

“We lost a loved one, her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie.”

He described the crater as “a bright spot on the moon.” A second crater is set to be named Integrity, the nickname of the Orion capsule. The crew also received a moving wake-up message from Apollo 13’s Jim Lovell, recorded before his death last year.

He told them, “Welcome to my old neighbourhood” and “don’t forget to enjoy the view.”

When will the crew return to Earth?

The astronauts are now preparing for the final stage of the mission. After looping around the Moon, Orion is expected to take four days to return to Earth. The capsule is scheduled to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere on Friday and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States.

Before the flyby, the crew had also been tasked with detailed scientific observations of the Moon’s far side and south polar region, an area considered a possible future base site for Mars missions, as per a report by The US Sun.

They were instructed to spend between eight and 20 minutes making notes and identifying possible targets, while also capturing thousands of photographs for analysis.

The mission has already been described as “a very special moment” by Tim Peake and “a tremendous breakthrough” by Helen Sharman.

With its record-breaking distance, historic lunar flyby, first-ever eclipse views from space, and emotionally powerful moments, Artemis II has already secured its place as one of the defining human spaceflight missions of this generation.

FAQs

How long did the crew lose communication?
They were out of contact for 40 minutes.

How far did Artemis II travel?
The crew reached 252,756 miles from Earth.