Artemis 2: NASA establishes contact with Artemis 2 after 40-minute blackout.
NASAThe Artemis 2 mission has achieved another difficult milestone by restoring essential communications with mission control after dark about 40 minutes ago. As the Orion spacecraft passed behind the far side of the Moon, radio communications were completely lost due to the Moon blocking it. This ‘loss of signal’ (LOS) time was a true test of both the crew’s ability to act independently and the spacecraft’s automated systems. The crew reestablished contact with Mission Control at 7:24 pm (EDT) Eastern Daylight Time on April 6, 2026, and reported that all systems were performing as expected. This is the longest distance traveled by humans in deep space, and it also lays the groundwork for the mission’s return.
NASA’s orion Moon goes silent before seeing rare total solar eclipse
According to NASA, at 6:44 pm EDT on April 6, 2026, Orion moved behind the moon (blocking signals from NASA’s Deep Space Network), causing a communications blackout. Orion then made its first close flyby of the Moon at 7:02 p.m. EDT, flying just 4,067 miles above the Moon’s surface. After restoring communications with the spacecraft, the Artemis II mission entered its unique solar eclipse phase at 8:35 PM EDT, where the crew experienced a total solar eclipse (where the Moon completely covers the Sun) for 53 minutes from the perspective of Orion, giving them the opportunity to study the solar corona (the outer atmosphere of the Sun) without the interference of direct sunlight.
Orion surpasses historic deep space record
At 7:07 PM EDT, the Artemis II crew officially broke the record for the previous distance traveled by humans from Earth. Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth at 252,756 miles and was 4,111 miles further than the Apollo 13 crew, which set out in April 1970, at 248,655 miles. Artemis II achieved this milestone while its crew was conducting high-altitude lunar observations (collecting data on the Moon’s minerals and geology) using high-resolution imagery.
NASA is preparing for the April 10 splashdown
When Orion lifted off above the Moon at 7:25 p.m. EDT, the astronauts saw a beautiful ‘Earthrise’ as Mission Control received the signal from Orion. Over seven hours, the crew was able to use this observation period to visually confirm and record various parts of the Moon, such as the Orientale Basin and the Hertzsprung Basin. The spacecraft is now on a free-return trajectory, which uses the gravity of Earth and the moon to send the crew back to the Pacific Ocean for a splashdown on April 10.
How NASA and the US Navy will retrieve Orion
NASA and the US Navy have begun the mission recovery phase to bring the crew home safely. USS John P. Murtha, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, has departed Naval Base San Diego to arrive at a designated recovery area. The ship has specialized equipment, including a recovery cradle, high-speed boats and other equipment, specifically designed to retrieve the Orion capsule from the open ocean. NASA’s Exploration Ground System team is on board to coordinate the ‘open ocean recovery’ operation.Currently, Mission Control is waiting for the exact time of splashdown. The planned splashdown time is April 10 at 8:07 PM EDT (5:07 PM PDT). The planned location of the splashdown is also in the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles off San Diego, California. At the time of splashdown, Navy divers will secure the capsule using a ‘horsecollar’ to stabilize it before maneuvering the capsule into the flooded well deck of the USS John P. Murtha. This process allows coordinated recovery operations, which will allow safe recovery of the astronauts and return of the spacecraft for post-flight analysis.
