Artemis II Crew Captures Stunning Images of Earth Mid-Mission

Sat Apr 04 2026 23:36:55 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

NASA's Artemis II mission has reached the halfway point to the Moon, showcasing stunning images captured by the crew, including a breathtaking view of Earth from space.

The Artemis II mission has successfully reached the midpoint of its journey towards the Moon. Commander Reid Wiseman and the crew shared spectacular high-resolution images of Earth, taken as they completed a critical engine burn. The mission marks the first time humans have traveled beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972, aiming for a lunar flyby.

NASA has shared stunning high-resolution images of Earth taken by the Artemis II crew as they pass the halfway point between our planet and the Moon. The crew, under the command of Reid Wiseman, captured these images right after completing a final engine burn, setting their course towards Earth's closest celestial neighbor.

As of approximately 07:00 BST, NASA's online dashboard indicated the Orion spacecraft was 142,000 miles (228,500 km) from Earth and 132,000 miles from the Moon. Astronaut Christina Koch expressed that the crew had a collective expression of joy as they reached this milestone just over two days after launch.

One of the representative images, titled 'Hello, World', showcases the Atlantic Ocean against the backdrop of space illuminated by Earth's atmosphere. The view presents the planet appearing upside down, with visible landmarks like the western Sahara and Iberian Peninsula, along with the southeastern portion of South America.

NASA noted the bright planet visible in the photo is Venus. Wiseman also captured another image, 'Artemis II Looking Back at Earth', from one of the spacecraft's four main windows shortly after the crew completed a trans-lunar injection burn, propelling them out of Earth orbit as they journey towards the Moon.

Artemis II is on a path that will take them around the far side of the Moon, marking the first time since 1972 that humans have traversed beyond Earth's orbit. The spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the crew expected to pass the Moon on April 6 and return to Earth for a Pacific Ocean splashdown on April 10.

The excitement among the astronauts was palpable, with mission specialist Jeremy Hansen sharing that they were glued to the windows, captivated by the breathtaking views. Wiseman humorously remarked on mission control about the difficulty of photographing Earth from space, likening it to taking a picture of the Moon from his backyard, but success was ultimately achieved as they took additional shots of the planet dividing night and day.

NASA later shared a side-by-side comparison of 2026's photograph of Earth with a similar shot taken during Apollo 17 in 1972, highlighting the remarkable journey in space exploration over the past five decades.