NASA’s Artemis 2 mission achieved another difficult feat by regaining primary contact with Mission Control after dark for about 40 minutes.
When the Orion spacecraft passed behind the far side of the Moon, there was a complete loss of radio communications due to being obscured by the Moon. The time of “loss of signal” (LOS) was a real test of the crew’s ability to operate independently and the spacecraft’s automated systems. The crew reconnected with Mission Control at 7:24 PM (EST) EDT on April 6, 2026, and reported that all systems were operating as expected.
This was the longest distance traveled in deep space by humans, and it also lays the foundation for the mission’s return.
NASA Orion It falls silent behind the moon before witnessing a rare total solar eclipse
According to NASA, on April 6, 2026, at 6:44 PM EDT, Orion passed 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 PM EDT, flying just 4,067 miles above its surface. After regaining contact with the spacecraft, the Artemis 2 mission entered its unique solar eclipse phase at 8:35 PM EDT, during which the crew witnessed a total solar eclipse (with the Moon completely blocking the Sun) for 53 minutes from Orion’s perspective, giving them the opportunity to study the solar corona (the Sun’s outer atmosphere) without any interference from direct sunlight.
Orion exceeds historical deep space record
At 7:07 PM EDT, the Artemis II crew officially broke the previous record for human distance traveled from Earth. Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth at 252,756 miles, which was 4,111 miles farther than the Apollo 13 crew assignment in April 1970, which was 248,655 miles. Artemis 2 achieved the feat while its crew was conducting high-altitude observations of the Moon (collecting data on the Moon’s mineralogy and geology) using high-resolution images.
NASA is preparing for landing on April 10
As Orion rose above the Moon at 7:25 PM EDT, the astronauts witnessed a beautiful “Earthrise” as Mission Control received the signal from Orion. Over the course of seven hours, the crew was able to use this observation period to visually confirm and record different parts of the Moon, such as the eastern basin and the Hertzsprung basin. The spacecraft is now on a free return trajectory, which uses Earth and Moon gravity to return the crew to the Pacific Ocean for landing on April 10.
How NASA and the US Navy will recover Orion
NASA and the US Navy have begun the recovery phase of the mission to bring the crew home safely. The USS John P. Murtha, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, has departed Naval Base San Diego to arrive at the designated recovery area. The ship contains special equipment, including a recovery cradle, high-speed boats, and other instruments, specifically designed to recover the Orion capsule from the open ocean.
NASA’s Earth Exploration Systems team is on board to coordinate “open ocean recovery” operations.As of now, Mission Control is waiting for the exact time for the plane to land. The planned time of landfall is 8:07 PM EDT (5:07 PM PDT) on April 10. The planned landing site is also located in the Pacific Ocean, about 60 miles offshore from San Diego, California. At landing time, Navy divers will secure the capsule using a “horse collar” to stabilize it before raising the capsule to the submerged well deck of the USS John B.
Mortha. This procedure allows for coordinated recovery operations, which will allow for the safe recovery of the astronauts and the return of the spacecraft for post-flight analysis.
