NASA’s Artemis II moon mission astronauts make first-ever ‘ship to ship’ call to ISS
This exchange between the Artemis II crew and astronauts onboard the International Space Station marks the first time a moon mission has called an orbital habitat
The Artemis II crew’s view of a solar eclipse from the Orion spacecraft.
NASA has launched four astronauts on a pioneering journey around the moon—the Artemis II mission. Follow our coverage here.
NASA’s Artemis II mission achieved another milestone on Tuesday as the crew, aboard their Orion spacecraft, conducted the first-ever direct communication between a lunar mission and the International Space Station (ISS).
The crew of Artemis II, comprising NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, engaged in a conversation filled with enthusiasm with their colleagues on the ISS. After the call, Wiseman described the crew’s demeanor as cheerful. The Artemis II crew took part in a 15-minute audio-only call with ISS astronauts Jessica Meir, Chris Williams, Jack Hathaway from NASA, and Sophie Adenot from the European Space Agency, sharing light-hearted remarks about their spaceflight experiences.
Meir commented, “We can tell that you guys are definitely experiencing ‘moon joy.’ I feel like even we are experiencing ‘moon joy’ right now,” referencing a term that has become a hallmark of the Artemis II mission.
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During the call, the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity by its crew, was over 200,000 nautical miles from Earth, while the ISS maintains an orbit approximately 250 nautical miles above the planet.
Koch, reflecting on her time aboard the ISS, highlighted that much of what they learned there, from practical matters like eating to playful activities with water, applies to their current mission.
She also noted that while the vistas from the ISS are impressive, the view of Earth from the proximity of the moon is striking for the vast “blackness” surrounding it.
“It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive. We evolved on the same planet. We have some shared things about how we love and live that are just universal. The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized when you notice how much else there is around it,” Koch remarked.
She also expressed gratitude to Meir, referring to her as an “astro sister,” saying, “I always hoped we would be in space again together, but I never thought it would be like this. It’s amazing.”
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