Astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II rocket sparked alarm Wednesday evening after suddenly losing contact with mission control as their spacecraft heads towards the moon.
'About 51 minutes into the flight, during a planned handover between satellites, the Orion spacecraft underwent a communications issue, leading to a temporary partial loss,' NASA chief Jared Isaacman said at a press briefing following the launch. 'The uplink from Cap Com to the crew was being heard by the crew, but we can’t hear the responses for a brief period of time,' he added.
Officials were able to regain contact shortly after the temporary blackout and Isaacman confirmed the issue did not affect the rest of the space craft. NASA is currently investigating the incident.
Artemis II took off in a blaze of glory on it's mission to the moon from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday.
It is the furthest space exploration mission undertaken in human history, coming 57 years after American astronauts first set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
The countdown began at 4.44pm EST this afternoon with the rocket taking off at 6.35pm EST. Optimal weather allowed for the launch to be cleared, with backup windows scheduled through the week until April 6.
Artemis II sent NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the first mission to reach the moon since 1972.
The ten-day journey saw the astronauts launch into orbit and then separate their Orion spacecraft from the launch vehicle, break out of low-Earth orbit, circle the moon and then return.
The historic flight is the first step in NASA's new multi-step to land on the moon by 2028 at the earliest.
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NASA reports that Artemis II suffered a communications problem
During NASA's post-launch press conference, space agency chief Jared Isaacman revealed Artemis II suffered a communications issue, preventing NASA from hearing the crew's messages for a brief time.
Isaacman added that the issue was not affecting the rest of the craft and NASA would be working to figure out what caused the temporary blackout.
'About 51 minutes into the flight, during a planned handover between satellites, the Orion spacecraft underwent a communications issue, leading to a temporary partial loss,' Isaacman said at a press conference.
'The uplink from Cap Com [Capsule Communication] to the crew was being heard by the crew, but we can’t hear the responses for a brief period of time,' he added, noting the issue has been resolved.
Isaacman said, 'There were no issues with the vehicle itself. Comms with the crew have been restored. We’re actively working the issue.'
Artemis II: Inside NASA’s first moon mission in over 50 years
NASA's Artemis II blasts off toward the moon in fiery liftoff, sending humans farther into space than ever before
Artemis II successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying four astronauts on a ten-day mission to reach the moon for the first time since 1972.
The NASA spacecraft officially launched at 6.35pm ET on Wednesday after overcoming a pair of systems glitches which temporarily threatened to derail the launch.
Artemis II is scheduled to take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen farther into space than any human has ever gone before.
The hidden mission behind NASA's Artemis expedition to the moon...and why Elon Musk is so suddenly invested in it
NASA has said the Artemis campaign is about laying the groundwork for future Mars missions, harnessing space's economic benefits and creating an enduring human presence beyond Earth.
It's also—as is anything these days in the United States—about heading off China's own lunar land grab: Washington wants to remain in front of Beijing's own plans to put a man on the moon by 2030.
But Artemis appears to be the opening step in a much more consequential infrastructure race that also pits Washington against Beijing—a giant leap toward an extraterrestrial AI future. And the program has attracted an unlikely new advocate.
French President praises Artemis II launch
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the Artemis II launch and highlighted the role Europeans played in the historic event.
'There are moments when History catches its breath and shows Humanity the horizon of its greatness,' he wrote on X.
'With Artemis II, more than fifty years after Apollo 17, the Moon once again becomes that gathering place for peoples who pool their resources and dare to dream.
'French, Europeans, we can be proud to take part in this extraordinary adventure by playing a key role thanks to the European service module developed by the ESA.'
He added, 'Congratulations to the teams at NASA and ESA for this successful launch. We will be following the rest closely. In space too, our destiny is written through ambition, sovereignty, and unity.'
Eric Trump and kids watch Artemis II launch
Eric Trump and his children watched the Artemis II launch in Florida.
'So proud to see America heading back to the moon - this time riding Artemis II, the most powerful manned rocket ever launched,' he wrote on X.
'Congratulations to @rookisaacman and everyone at #NASA! Godspeed!'
NASA's next space mission, Artemis III, set for 2027
Artemis III - NASA's next space mission - is set to launch in 2027.
The mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin respectively.
NASA chief says mission will be a success when spaceship lands on Earth safely
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said he will declare the Artemis II mission a success when the astronauts splash down safely.
'To me, success is undershoots and in the in the water safely after a ten-day mission duration. So no early off-ramps there,' he said.
Artemis II crew will be worked 'pretty hard,' flight operations director says
Flight operations director Norm Knight said the early days of the Artemis II mission will work the crew 'pretty hard.'
'We’re working the crew pretty hard. In fact, when they go to sleep tonight, they’re woken up in the middle of their sleep to do the perigee raise burn,' he said.
'And so their sleep’s disrupted, they’re hitting on all cylinders, they may not be feeling well on top of that.'
Knight explained that the astronauts' training included simulations to prepare them for what they would experience.
'Now, they weren’t in orbit; they probably were feeling great. But we got a good gauge, "Hey, are we working them too hard?"'
NASA chief felt 'responsible' for astronauts during lift-off
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman spoke of the stress he felt watching Artemis II launch from the control room.
'It's far less stressful to be strapped into the rocket than to be responsible for it here on Earth. I definitely had those feelings a little bit,' he said.
He added that he felt confidence from the 'army of people' who worked tirelessly to ensure launch day went smoothly, including the astronauts who have prepared for two years.
Isaacman has been to space twice, first in 2021 and 2024. He was apart of the first all-civilian spacewalk on a SpaceX rocket mission.
Artemis II launch created 'a lot of homework' for spacecraft crew, NASA official says
NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said the crews who work on the spacecraft have a lot to learn from the Artemis II launch.
'We’ve got a lot in front of us,' said Kshatriya. 'It’s a big celebration in Launch Control for the rocket guys.'
He added, 'The rocket guys can go out and play now, but the spacecraft guys have got a lot of homework.'
