Artemis II: First Crew Photos of Earth on the Way to the Moon

NASA released the first downlinked images from Artemis II on April 3, 2026. The images were taken by Commander Reid Wiseman after the translunar injection burn and show Earth with two auroras and a faint zodiacal glow. Although the planet occupies only part of the frame, its blue and white colors are striking while the thin curve of night and day is visible. The photos were posted on NASA’s public image gallery and shared with news organizations.

The Artemis II mission launched on April 1, 2026, and will last about ten days. The four-person crew — Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian mission specialist) — will fly around the Moon and return to Earth. This flight is the first time humans have traveled beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 and it is testing deep-space systems for future missions; therefore, scientists will also use observations taken from Orion during the lunar flyby on April 6. Mission teams will analyze the photographs to check camera systems and to plan future observation tasks during the mission.