Artemis II crew loses contact with Earth as they fly behind moon

CBS News
April 6, 2026
2 min read

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The Artemis II crew temporarily lost contact with Earth during a scheduled blackout behind the moon.

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The Artemis II crew has lost contact with Earth as they entered a scheduled communications blackout while looping around the far side of the moon. This is a routine part of their mission, designed for the spacecraft to orbit behind the lunar body. The temporary loss of communication is expected as the moon physically blocks radio signals between the crew and mission control. Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan is discussing this event with CBS News, providing expert commentary. The crew is anticipated to re-establish contact once they emerge from behind the moon.

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Artemis II Lunar Mission Progress

The Artemis II mission is progressing towards a historic lunar flyby, with astronauts finding 'Easter eggs' aboard and transmitting striking images of Earth. The mission aims to break Apollo 13's distance record and represents a renewed commitment to sustained moon exploration by the US.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Flyby

The Artemis II mission astronauts are on a historic flyby around the Moon, marking the first time humans have journeyed this far in over half a century. The crew has been sharing breathtaking views and is set to break Apollo 13's distance record.

NASA's Artemis II Lunar Flyby Mission

The Artemis II mission is currently underway, with astronauts racing towards and preparing for a historic flyby around the Moon. This mission marks a significant step in human lunar exploration, with the crew already capturing breathtaking views and setting new distance records.

Artemis II Moon Flyby Mission

The Artemis II mission, carrying a crew of four astronauts, is nearing its historic lunar flyby. The crew has shared stunning images of Earth and is preparing to loop around the far side of the Moon, marking a significant milestone in human space exploration.

Artemis II Lunar Flyby Mission

The Artemis II mission, carrying a crew of four, is currently on a historic journey around the Moon. Astronauts are preparing for a lunar flyby, capturing breathtaking views and marking a significant milestone in human space exploration.

NASA's Artemis II Lunar Flyby Mission

NASA's Artemis II mission is progressing with its crew preparing for a historic lunar flyby. The mission marks a significant step in humanity's return to the Moon, with astronauts observing breathtaking views and breaking distance records.

Artemis II Lunar Mission

The Artemis II mission is progressing, with its crew of four astronauts nearing a historic lunar flyby. This mission marks a significant step in humanity's return to the Moon, with the crew preparing for a lunar loop and observing breathtaking sights.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Flyby and Distance Record

The Artemis II crew is on a historic mission to orbit the Moon, aiming to take humans farther from Earth than ever before. The mission involves a lunar flyby, with the crew preparing for crucial maneuvers and sharing stunning views from space.

Artemis II Mission Prepares for Lunar Flyby

The Artemis II mission is preparing for a historic lunar flyby, which will take its crew farther from Earth than any humans have traveled before. This mission is a crucial step in NASA's efforts to return humans to the Moon.

Artemis II Lunar Flyby Mission Progress

The Artemis II crew is preparing for and executing a historic nine-day mission involving a lunar flyby, aiming to loop around the Moon and set a new distance record from Earth. The mission highlights both the advancements and challenges of human space exploration.

Artemis II Crew Sets New Distance Record During Lunar Flyby

The four-person crew of the Artemis II mission successfully completed a lunar flyby, breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans. This mission marks a significant step in NASA's deep space exploration efforts.

Artemis II Mission Breaks Distance Record

The Artemis II crew has broken the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans, surpassing the Apollo 13 record. The mission involves a historic loop around the Moon, marking a significant step in NASA's deep space exploration efforts.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Flyby and Distance Records

The Artemis II mission is making headlines as its crew embarks on a historic lunar flyby, breaking distance records for human spaceflight. The mission aims to observe parts of the moon rarely seen and is a significant step in NASA's deep space exploration efforts.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Flyby and Distance Record

The Artemis II crew has successfully broken the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans, surpassing Apollo 13's record. The mission involves a historic lunar flyby, looping around the far side of the Moon as a critical step towards future lunar landings.

NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Preparations

NASA is finalizing preparations for the Artemis II crewed moon mission, targeting an early April launch. This mission will be the first crewed test flight around the Moon as part of the broader Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the lunar surface.

NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Preparations

NASA is finalizing preparations for its Artemis II crewed moon mission, targeting an April 1 launch. The mission, which will orbit the Moon, has seen its Space Launch System rocket repaired after previous delays.

Artemis II Mission: Record-Breaking Lunar Flyby

The Artemis II crew has successfully completed a historic lunar flyby, breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans. The mission included a planned communications blackout as the crew looped around the far side of the moon.

Artemis II Mission Breaks Space Distance Records

The Artemis II crew successfully completed a mission that included a planned communications blackout and a loop around the far side of the moon. During this mission, the four-astronaut crew broke the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans, surpassing the Apollo 13 record.

Artemis II Mission Breaks Distance Record

The Artemis II mission is nearing its conclusion, with the four-person crew breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth. The astronauts are preparing for splashdown after a successful journey around the Moon, despite a brief loss of contact with Earth.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Orbit and Records

The Artemis II crew successfully completed its mission to loop around the far side of the moon, breaking the record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by humans. Despite a brief communications blackout, the mission provided new observations and honored a fallen loved one.

Artemis II Mission Breaks Space Travel Records

NASA's Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts, successfully completed a loop around the far side of the moon, breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew experienced a planned communications blackout and later named a moon crater in honor of a fallen astronaut's wife, marking significant milestones in human space exploration.

Artemis II Mission: Record-Breaking Lunar Journey

The Artemis II mission successfully completed its trip around the far side of the moon, with its four astronauts breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew also experienced a planned communications blackout and named a lunar crater after a commander's late wife.

Artemis II Mission Breaks Distance Record

The Artemis II mission successfully looped around the far side of the moon, with its four-astronaut crew breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew experienced a planned communications blackout and named a lunar crater after a commander's late wife, marking significant milestones as they return to Earth.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Record-Breaking Journey

The Artemis II mission has successfully completed its journey around the far side of the moon, with its four-astronaut crew breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew also experienced a planned communications blackout and named a moon crater in honor of a commander's late wife.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Orbit and Record-Breaking Journey

The Artemis II mission successfully completed its journey around the far side of the moon, with its four astronauts breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew also experienced a planned communications blackout and named a lunar crater after a commander's late wife, marking significant milestones before their return to Earth.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Orbit and Record-Breaking Journey

The Artemis II mission successfully completed its journey around the far side of the moon, with its four astronauts breaking the record for the farthest human travel from Earth. The crew also experienced a planned communications blackout and named a lunar crater.

Artemis II Mission: Lunar Flyby and Records Broken

The Artemis II mission successfully completed a lunar flyby, with its four astronauts traveling farther into space than any humans before them. The crew also named a moon crater after commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll, and experienced a planned communications blackout.

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