Green Bank Telescope Captures Artemis II Crew 213,000 Miles Away, Aiding Future Moon Missions
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · May 14
Green Bank Telescope Captures Artemis II Crew 213,000 Miles Away, Aiding Future Moon Missions
4 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · May 14
A pixelated Earth-based image released by the NRAO shows NASA’s Artemis II Orion capsule near the moon from about 213,000 miles away, making it a contender for the longest-distance photo of humans ever taken from Earth.
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia captured the radio-wave image on April 6 as Orion slingshotted around the moon at roughly 2,000 mph, with four astronauts aboard.
GBT tracked the spacecraft during six-hour observation windows on five days near the moon and measured its motion to within 0.2 millimeters per second of NASA’s projected path.
That tracking data is expected to help NASA prepare later Artemis missions, which aim to return astronauts to the moon and eventually support a lunar base.
Artemis II launched on April 1 and splashed down on April 10 after a 695,000-mile mission that set a new human distance record and reached reentry speeds near 25,000 mph.
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Artemis II’s 213,000-Mile Journey: The Green Bank Telescope’s Role in Pushing Human Spaceflight Boundaries
Overview
On April 6, 2026, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) made history by capturing the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, 'Integrity,' from 213,000 miles away—the farthest humans have ever been observed from Earth. This achievement marked a major milestone in both astronomy and human spaceflight, showing how ground-based radio telescopes like the GBT are essential for supporting missions beyond Earth orbit. The Artemis II mission sent four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, relying on the GBT’s precise tracking and communication support to ensure their safety and success as they traveled further from Earth than anyone before.