Artemis II: Lunar Far Side Flyover and Return to Earth

NASA’s Artemis II crew has begun the final leg of their journey back to Earth after completing a historic flyby of the lunar far side. The mission reached a significant milestone on April 6, 2026, as the four crew members set a new distance record for humanity, traveling over 250,000 miles away from Earth.

The crew, consisting of Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen, navigated the Orion spacecraft beyond the lunar surface, venturing further into space than any human has since the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

Lunar Far-Side Observations and Imagery

During a seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side on April 6, 2026, the astronauts captured images of regions that had never been seen by a human being. Among these captures was a rare in-space solar eclipse, occurring at the moment the moon eclipsed the Earth.

One of the most prominent images released by NASA on April 7, 2026, is a photograph titled Earthrise. Captured at 7:22 p.m. ET on April 6, the image was taken through the window of the Orion spacecraft using a 400 mm lens.

The photograph depicts the Earth as a delicate crescent with its upper edge illuminated against the blackness of space, while the lower portion remains in night. The image shows a striking alignment with the rugged terrain of the Moon’s horizon silhouetted in the top foreground. According to NASA, both the Earth and Moon in the photo are oriented with their north poles to the left and south poles to the right, though the image was rotated 90 degrees clockwise for standard viewing.

Transition to Earth’s Gravity

Following the lunar flyby, the Orion spacecraft began its maneuver to return to Earth. On April 7, 2026, at 1:23 p.m. EST, Artemis II successfully exited the lunar sphere of influence.

This transition marks a critical technical shift in the mission’s trajectory, as the spacecraft is no longer governed by the moon’s gravity and is now under the influence of Earth’s gravitational pull. As of the afternoon of April 7, the crew was positioned more than 40,000 miles away from the moon.

The mission’s trajectory is being closely monitored by teams in Houston, including engineers tasked with overseeing the core systems of the Orion spacecraft.

Mission Context and Engineering

The Artemis II mission serves as a critical test flight, demonstrating the capabilities of the Orion spacecraft and the endurance of the crew in deep space. The trajectory required to loop around the far side of the moon and return to Earth is described as a significant feat of engineering.

Dr. Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, provided updates on the operation during a press briefing, highlighting the record-breaking distance achieved by the crew on April 6.

The crew regained contact with mission control after their planned passage around the far side of the moon on the night of April 6, confirming the success of the flyby before initiating the return sequence.