NASA Artemis II astronauts regain communication after record-breaking far side Moon flyby

NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have officially travelled further from Earth than any humans in history, circling the far side of the Moon before beginning their return journey home.

The four-person crew, which includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, flew beyond the record distance set by Apollo 13 in 1970, marking a major milestone in humanity’s return to deep space.

As their Orion spacecraft passed behind the Moon, the astronauts briefly lost contact with Earth during a planned communications blackout.

“As we prepare to go out of radio communication, we’re still going to feel your love from Earth,” pilot Victor Glover said shortly before the signal was lost.

“And to all of you down there on Earth and around Earth, we love you, from the moon. We will see you on the other side.”

Contact was restored roughly 40 minutes later as the spacecraft re-emerged from behind the Moon, with astronaut Christina Koch confirming communication had resumed.

“We are happy to say we copy.”

The lunar flyby marks the most significant phase of the Artemis II mission so far, offering astronauts a rare view of the Moon’s far side, a region never directly observed by human eyes during a crewed flyby in more than 50 years.

“It is blowing my mind what you can see with the naked eye from the moon right now. It is just unbelievable,” Jeremy Hansen radioed ahead of the flyby.

The astronauts described dramatic views of craters and peaks illuminated by sunlight, with Glover noting some features appeared so bright they resembled snow. The crew also captured images of both the Moon and Earth in the same frame, providing valuable observations for scientists back in Houston.

Moments after surpassing the Apollo-era record, the astronauts requested permission to name two newly observed lunar craters, proposing “Integrity” after their spacecraft and “Carroll” in honour of Commander Wiseman’s late wife.

Wiseman became emotional during the exchange, with the crew sharing an embrace as Mission Control processed the request.

“Such a majestic view out here,” Wiseman said as the crew began photographing the lunar surface.

The mission is part of NASA’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a long-term presence that could support future missions to Mars.

Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed Moon mission since the Apollo era, testing critical systems aboard the Orion spacecraft before a planned lunar landing later this decade.

Launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, the mission is expected to last around 10 days, with the Orion capsule set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean after completing its free-return trajectory around the Moon.

While the flyby has delivered historic moments, the journey has not been without minor technical challenges, including issues with the spacecraft’s toilet system and reports of an unusual smell aboard Orion, both of which engineers continue to monitor.

Mission scientists had prepared the astronauts to carefully observe subtle colour variations across the lunar surface, particularly in regions rarely seen in detail. Among the targets is the ancient Orientale Basin, a massive impact crater estimated to be 3.8 billion years old.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said the record-breaking distance should serve as motivation for future generations to continue pushing the boundaries of exploration.

“We, most importantly, choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived.”

With AAP