Photo Credit; Getty Images
NASA will lose contact with its astronauts for 40 minutes tonight as their spacecraft passes behind the moon.
The Artemis II crew are on their final approach to the lunar surface ahead of this evening's flyby, which will see them break the record for the farthest distance ever travelled by humans.
As part of the mission, the team will be taking photos and videos of our celestial neighbour and recording their observations.
But there will be a tense 40 minutes when the lunar surface blocks radio signals needed for the Deep Space Network to connect with the spacecraft.
During this time, there will be a communications blackout between mission control and the astronauts.
And it means that if something goes wrong, there is no way the astronauts can contact Earth for help.
‘When we’re behind the moon, out of contact with everybody, let’s take that as an opportunity,’ Artemis pilot Victor Glover previously told the BBC.
‘Let’s pray, hope, send your good thoughts and feelings that we get back in contact with the crew.’
