Artemis II astronaut breaks silence with historic four-word remark on radio

You don’t have to be an avid space fanatic to be familiar with terms like “Houston, we have a problem” and “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Humanity’s forays into the black beyond thus far have been the stuff of legend, the nuts and bolts of the narratives prettied up and offered to the masses through countless films, books, and documentaries.

The current Artemis II mission looks to have already taken its place in the history books. NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen launched on Wednesday (1 April) aboard a 322-foot rocket, beginning their journey beyond Earth’s orbit.

Part of the mission’s significance is that it was to break the record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance from Earth, previously set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

IN SPACE – APRIL 06: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by NASA, Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. A muted blue Earth with bright white clouds sets behind the cratered lunar surface. The dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater has terraced edges and a flat floor interrupted by central peaks. Central peaks form in complex craters when the lunar surface, liquefied on impact, splashes upwards during the crater’s formation. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

Needless to say, a great many people have been following the Artemis’ progress. Arguably the most nerve-wracking period of the journey so far was when the crew passed around the far side of the moon, losing contact with Mission Control in Houston, Texas for 40 minutes.

The period of lost contact was preplanned, with the technology being used to communicate between the crew and Mission Control blocked by the moon.

Artemis pilot Victor Glover had revealed previously that they would spend the 40 minutes praying that they would ‘get back in contact with the crew’.

Fortunately, the gap in communication didn’t drag on for any longer than it needed to. Mission specialist Christina Koch’s words could be heard without issue when the computers on board Orion came to life at exactly the right time according to schedule.

The first four words she said were: “Houston, Integrity, comm check,” followed by “It is so great to hear from Earth again.”

IN SPACE – APRIL 05: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout image provided by NASA, Artemis II mission specialist and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen enjoys a shave inside the Orion spacecraft during Flight Day 5, April 5, 2026, and ahead of the crew’s lunar flyby on April 6. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

Koch then delivered a rousing speech, adding:

“To Asia, Africa and Oceana, we are looking back at you, we hear you can look up and see the moon right now. We see you too.

“When we burned this bird towards the moon, I said that we do not leave Earth, but we choose it and that is true.

“We will explore, we will build, we will build ships, we will visit again.

“We will construct science outposts. We will drive rovers, we will do radio astronomy, we will found companies, we will bolster industry.

“We will inspire but ultimately we will always choose Earth.

“We will always choose each other,” she finished.

The historic mission has been a roaring success so far, with Koch and the rest of the Artemis crew now on their way back to earth.

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