NASA’s Artemis II Crew Captures Stunning Photo of Earth

NASA has released the first high-resolution images of Earth captured by the crew of the Artemis II mission. The photographs were taken as the spacecraft traveled toward the moon, marking the first time humans have traveled outside Earth’s orbit since 1972.

The images were captured by mission commander Reid Wiseman from the windows of the Orion capsule. These photos were shared by NASA on April 3, 2026, during the third day of the mission.

Capturing the Earth from Deep Space

The photographs were taken after the crew successfully completed a translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. This critical engine burn propelled the Orion spacecraft out of Earth’s orbit and set it on a trajectory toward the moon.

One primary image, titled Hello, World, depicts the entire planet. This shot shows the Atlantic Ocean and a glow of the atmosphere as the Earth eclipses the sun. The image also features green auroras visible over both the Northern and Southern poles.

In this specific photograph, the Earth appears upside down. The Iberian peninsula and western Sahara are visible on the left, while the eastern portion of South America appears on the right. NASA also identified the bright planet visible in the bottom right of the image as Venus.

Another image captured by Wiseman shows a terminator line, which is the boundary separating the daylight side and the nighttime side of the planet. The photos reveal zodiacal light, which is created by sunlight reflecting off dust within the solar system.

Mission Milestones and Technical Details

The Artemis II crew reached a significant milestone approximately two days, five hours, and 24 minutes after blast off. At roughly 07:00 BST on a date preceding April 6, 2026, 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 described the crew’s expression of joy upon reaching this halfway point. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen noted that the crew members were glued to the window and taking pictures after breaking out of Earth’s orbit.

There was a moment, about an hour ago, where mission control Houston reoriented our spacecraft as the sun was setting behind the Earth … But you could see the entire globe from pole to pole, you could see Africa, Europe, and if you looked really close, you could see the Northern Lights, it was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks

Reid Wiseman

Trajectory and Objectives

The Artemis II mission utilizes a looping path designed to carry the four astronauts around the far side of the moon before returning to Earth. The total distance the crew aims to travel to reach the moon is more than 200,000 miles.

Lakiesha Hawkins, the deputy director for NASA’s Artemis program, confirmed during a news conference on April 3, 2026, that all spacecraft systems were operating normally and the crew remained in great spirit.

To provide ongoing visibility of the journey, NASA is providing a livestream of the views from the Orion capsule as it continues its transit to and around the lunar surface.