The Artemis II spacecraft left the far side of the Moon and began its return route. After about 40 minutes, the crew regained contact with Earth.
The communication blackout was predicted and lasted for as long as the ship passed the farthest point from the Moon, the so-called “hidden side”.
The first message in the resumption of communication came from Christina Koch, who said: “Houston, this is Integrity, communication test… it’s great to hear from Earth again.”
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The images and data recorded on the far side of the Moon have not yet been released.
Now, the mission continues back to Earth. The return should end with landing in the Pacific Ocean, next Friday (10).
Greater distance in space
This Monday, just before 3pm (Brasília time), the Artemis II astronauts. The ship took them to the furthest point in space that humans have ever been.
Previously, the record was held by the Apollo 13 mission, which in 1970 reached 400,170 kilometers from Earth, according to NASA. Now, the record has been surpassed by more than six thousand kilometers.
Artemis II also marks other types of “firsts” this Monday. Glover will be the first black astronaut to travel to the Moon; Koch, the first woman; and Hansen, the first Canadian to make this journey.
Artemis II is NASA’s first manned mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, and paves the way for Artemis III and a later lunar landing, scheduled for Artemis IV, in 2028.
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*With information from Estadão Conteúdo.
