Astronauts witness total solar eclipse after regaining contact with Earth following Moon fly-By

The crew of Artemis II just experienced the most cinematic “homecoming” in history. On April 6, 2026, as the four astronauts completed their historic loop around the Moon and re-established contact with Earth, they were greeted by the breathtaking sight of a total solar eclipse from deep space.

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Here are the highlights of this extraordinary mission milestone:

Breaking Records and Going Dark

Before the celestial show began, the crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—achieved a new milestone for humanity. Their spacecraft, Integrity, reached a distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, officially breaking the record for the farthest humans have ever traveled into the cosmos.

Shortly after, the mission entered its most intense phase: a 40-minute communications blackout. As the ship dipped behind the far side of the Moon, the lunar mass blocked all radio signals, leaving the crew in total silence as they witnessed the rugged, cratered lunar surface from just 4,000 miles away.

A Different Kind of Eclipse

The moment the crew regained contact with Mission Control, the geometry of their return trajectory aligned perfectly for a solar eclipse. Seeing an eclipse from a spacecraft is vastly different than seeing one from the ground:

• Size Contrast: Because they were so close to the Moon, it appeared five times larger than the Sun, creating an incredibly long and dark totality.
• The Lunar Corona: Astronauts described the Moon’s edge as “glowing” with a shimmering ring of light as the Sun’s corona became visible.
• Meteor Watch: In the deep darkness of the Moon’s shadow, the crew reported seeing four flashes on the lunar surface—potential meteoroid impacts that are usually drowned out by sunlight.

“Moonjoy” and the Journey Home

The emotional peak of the fly-by was the sighting of Earthrise, where the vibrant blue of our home planet emerged from the lunar horizon. The crew’s sheer excitement during their radio check-in was so palpable that Mission Control began referring to their high spirits as “Moonjoy.”

“To see the Earth rising while the Sun was eclipsed by the Moon… it’s a perspective no human has ever had before,” reported Mission Specialist Christina Koch.

What’s Next? The Integrity is currently on its final approach for a scheduled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean this Friday, April 10. After nearly 10 days in space, the crew is bringing home a wealth of data—and some of the most unique photos ever taken by human hands.