Artemis 2 astronauts observe unprecedented areas of the Moon; see photos - News Room USA

The crew was 6,540 km from the Moon and went into a 40-minute “blackout” when passing through the far side, losing contact with Earth

The Orion spacecraft, which houses the 4 astronauts on the mission, reached the closest point to the Moon since the end of the Apollo Program, more than half a century ago, this Monday (April 6, 2026).

Due to the spacecraft’s position in relation to Earth, at this point of closest approach, the Moon’s mass blocks all radio signals, resulting in a planned communications “blackout” of approximately 40 minutes.

During this period, the crew – made up of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – operates completely autonomously, without contact with control in Houston.

See images of the moment:

The visual spectacle and the physics of the trajectory

While skirting the far side of the Moon, the crew experiences one of the rarest moments of the mission.

Without contact with Earth and faced with a scenario that few humans have ever witnessed, astronauts observe phenomena that combine extreme scale, orbital dynamics and a unique point of view of the Earth-Moon system. Find out what they are:

The Basketball Moon: At this distance, the natural satellite dominates the view through Orion’s windows, appearing with the apparent size of a basketball held at arm’s length, according to NASA;
“Earthset” e “Earthrise”: Minutes before maximum approach, at 7:45 pm, the astronauts observed the “Earthset”, the setting of the Earth behind the lunar horizon. The “Earthrise”, or birth of the Earth, took place at 8:25 pm, when contact with Earth was reestablished;
Gravity Slingshot: Orion follows a free return trajectory, using lunar gravity as a natural slingshot to automatically begin the path back to Earth, without the need for major propulsion maneuvers. In practice, the difference in mass between the Earth and the Moon causes Earth’s gravity to dominate the system, pulling the spacecraft back after the lunar contour.

Science in Earth’s blind spot

Despite the lack of communication, work on board continues intensely. The crew uses high-resolution cameras to record impact craters and ancient lava flows, in addition to observing geological formations in polar regions, considered strategic for future manned landing missions on the Moon.

Although Artemis 2 will not perform the lunar landing, the validation of critical systems more than 400 thousand km from Earth is for the next stages of the Artemis program.

The data collected on radiation, life support and piloting maneuvers will be used to ensure the safety of future missions that are expected to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, with Apollo 17, consolidating the lasting human presence on the natural satellite.

The success of the maneuver represents a decisive step towards advancing its plan to return astronauts to the lunar surface in the coming years.

The far side of the Moon

The so-called “far side of the Moon” is the face of the satellite that cannot be seen from Earth. This is because the Moon is in synchronized rotation with the planet – a phenomenon known as synchronous rotation–which means that the same face is always facing us. Thus, the other half remains out of our direct field of vision.

Despite the name, this side is not permanently in the dark. It receives sunlight normally, as does the visible side. The term “hidden” only refers to the fact that it is not observable from Earth without the use of probes or space missions.

It was only in 1959, with the Soviet mission Luna 3that humanity obtained the first images of this region.

In addition to the visual limitation, the hidden side also represents a technical challenge for space missions. When a spacecraft passes through this region, the Moon’s own mass blocks radio signals, interrupting direct communication with Earth.

This phenomenon explains the “blackout” faced by the Orion capsule during the mission Artemis 2.

Watch the moment of Artemis 2 launch (3min45s):

The visual spectacle and the physics of the trajectory

Science in Earth’s blind spot

The far side of the Moon

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