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

On April 3, 2026, NASA released the first downlinked photographs taken by the Artemis II crew as Orion left Earth orbit on its way to the Moon. The images, which Commander Reid Wiseman captured after the translunar injection burn, reveal two auroral bands and a faint zodiacal glow alongside the planet’s curved day‑night terminator. Although Earth fills only a sliver of the frame, the photographs provide high-contrast views that mission teams will use to check sensor performance and to refine observation plans for the lunar flyby.

Artemis II launched on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts—Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—on an approximately ten-day test flight that will pass around the Moon and return. This mission marks the first human trip beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 and, while it does not include a lunar landing, it will exercise Orion’s life‑support and navigation systems during a planned lunar flyby on April 6. If the spacecraft completes its planned burns and observations, engineers will gather critical data to improve deep-space operations for later Artemis missions.

Observers on Earth have found the images striking, and the mission’s public multimedia posts have sparked widespread interest in how the planet appears from deep space. Scientists will analyze the pictures not only for camera checks but also to study auroral structure and Earth‑shine effects that are visible from Orion’s unique vantage point; consequently, the photographs serve both engineering and scientific goals as the crew proceeds on the return trajectory. The mission remains active and is expected to conclude after roughly ten days.