Artemis II Begins Return After Lunar Flyby and Record Distance

Overview

• Orion “Integrity” fired its thrusters Tuesday for the first of three course corrections, with a Pacific splashdown expected Friday, April 10.
• The four astronauts reached about 406,777 kilometers from Earth during Monday’s far‑side pass after a planned 40‑minute loss of contact set a new human distance mark.
• NASA and the White House released new images from the flyby, including an Earthset, a long solar eclipse view, close looks at the Orientale basin, and a Milky Way photo taken during the trip home.
• The crew proposed names for two small craters near Orientale—Carroll and Integrity—which will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union, and they worked through a minor clogged vent in the waste system.
• The far‑side blackout happened because the Moon blocks radio line of sight, a gap China avoids on its far‑side missions by using Queqiao relay satellites that pass signals around the Moon.