NASA loses communication with Artemis II astronauts as they pass behind moon

• NASA's Artemis II Orion spacecraft is experiencing a 41-minute communications blackout as it passes behind the moon, beginning at 6:44 p.m. ET.
• During this period, the mission will reach the farthest distance any human has ever traveled from Earth, achieving its maximum at 7:07 p.m. ET.
• The astronauts are observing previously unseen parts of the moon's surface and taking photos, looking for meteor flashes despite the darkness.
• Earlier on Monday, the Artemis II crew broke the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970 for the farthest human travel distance from Earth.
• Communications are expected to be reestablished around 7:25 p.m. EST, after the spacecraft's closest approach to the moon at 4,070 miles above its surface.

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