Wednesday, July 22, 2026

World News

Photo Credit : ANI (X/@WhiteHouse)

Artemis II: NASA reconnects with crew after 40-minute lunar blackout

NASA’s Artemis II mission experienced a tense but anticipated moment when communication with the Orion spacecraft was briefly lost during its historic journey around the Moon before contact was successfully restored.

TAS News Service

info@thearabianstories.com

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

WASHINGTON : NASA re-established contact with the Artemis II crew following a 40-minute communication blackout as the Orion spacecraft passed behind the far side of the Moon. The temporary loss of signal occurred because the Moon physically obstructed radio transmissions between the spacecraft and Earth, a known and planned phase of the mission.

Despite the silence, mission controllers remained confident, as such blackouts are natural limitations of deep-space communication rather than technical failures.

The reconnection represented a significant milestone, confirming that Orion’s systems were operating as expected during one of its most critical phases. During the flyby, the crew also set a record for the farthest distance from Earth reached by humans and conducted key observations of the lunar surface. The mission, which is paving the way for future human landings on the Moon, continues its journey back to Earth with a planned splashdown in the coming days.

For all the latest news from Oman and GCC, follow us on TwitterInstagram and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.

Close