41 minutes of complete silence in deep space

On April 6, the Orion spacecraft will pass behind the far side of the Moon — and for 41 minutes, all communication with Earth will stop.

No messages.
No data.
Just… silence.

This is a planned communications blackout, caused by the Moon physically blocking signals between Orion and Earth — even systems like NASA’s Deep Space Network can’t reach through it.

During this time, the astronauts are completely on their own:

No contact with mission control
No real-time updates
Only their training and onboard systems

Then, as Orion re-emerges…

Signals return. Contact is restored.

It’s a powerful reminder of how far humanity is pushing into space —

and how, for a moment, explorers are truly alone.