In brief
The Artemis II mission reached a new milestone as its astronauts established the first-ever radio communication with the International Space Station after a successful lunar flyby. The connection underscored a historic reunion for astronaut Christina Koch on Artemis II and Jessica Meir on the space station, who previously collaborated during the first all-female spacewalk. The crew, led by Commander Reid Wiseman, is expected to splash down off the San Diego coast soon, setting the stage for future lunar missions.
HOUSTON (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts are riding high after their successful lunar flyby, recently making a historic call to their colleagues aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This momentous event represents the first instance in history of a moonship communicating with a spaceship, a stark contrast to NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, which lacked such external communication.In a joyful reunion spanning 230,000 miles, Christina Koch aboard Artemis II and Jessica Meir on the ISS, who had previously made headlines with the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, shared laughs and stories during their conversation. Houston’s Mission Control facilitated this groundbreaking communication between the four Artemis II astronauts and the three NASA astronauts and one French astronaut on the ISS.Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman captured breathtaking images of the lunar rendezvous, achieving a new distance record for humanity. Notably, his Earthset photo is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise capture from Apollo 8 in 1968.This crew is set to splash down off the San Diego coast on Friday, concluding their nearly 10-day test flight. Their achievement sets the foundation for upcoming missions, including the Artemis III lunar lander demonstration in Earth orbit and Artemis IV, slated for 2028, which will aim to land astronauts near the lunar south pole.
