science
Artemis II beams first Earth photos as crew races to the moon
The Artemis II crew sent back the mission's first photos of Earth from the Orion capsule as they travel toward a planned lunar flyby, marking the return of astronauts to lunar space after more than 50 years.
Apr 3rd 2026 · United States
Insights
- NASA released the first downlinked images from Orion showing Earth one and a half days into the mission.
- Commander Reid Wiseman took photos showing a curved slice of Earth and a full globe with cloud patterns.
- As of April 3, 2026 the crew was about 90,000 miles from Earth and roughly 168,000 miles from the moon.
- Orion fired its main engine Thursday night to enter a translunar trajectory for a lunar flyby and return, the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Sources
- 'You guys look great': Artemis II shares image of Earth from space timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- Primeras imágenes de la Tierra vista por la misión Artemis 2 en su histórico viaje a la Luna: auroras, reflejos del Sol y “la península Ibérica centelleando” elpais.com
- Artemis II’s moon-bound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind www.thehindu.com
- Astronauts share ‘spectacular moment’ as Artemis II breaks out of Earth’s orbit and heads to far side of the Moon www.independent.co.uk
- Watch: Artemis II crew make contact with Earth, describe breathtaking sights www.thehindu.com
- NASA Unveils 1st Earth Photos From Artemis II: ‘You Look Beautiful.’ www.nytimes.com
- ¿Dónde están los astronautas de Artemisa 2? Una herramienta de la NASA permite rastrear la nave Orión en tiempo real www.elmundo.es
- Un retrato de la Tierra para la historia: la impresionante foto tomada por el comandante de Artemisa 2 www.elmundo.es
- "Chicos, estáis genial": las primeras imágenes de la Tierra desde la misión Artemisa II camino a la Luna www.eldiario.es
- Primeras imágenes de la Tierra tomadas por Artemis II en el histórico viaje de vuelta a la Luna www.abc.es
- Artemis astronauts’ first pictures from space released as they zoom toward moon www.independent.co.uk
- Artemis II’s moon-bound astronauts share first images of Earth’s brilliant blue beauty www.scmp.com
- Artemis II envía las postales más espectaculares de la Tierra en su viaje a la Luna www.cope.es
- Artemis II Pilot Took a Test Drive on the Way to the Moon www.nytimes.com
- Artemis II crew take 'spectacular' image of Earth www.bbc.com
- Behold These Breathtaking Views of Earth Captured by the Artemis 2 Astronauts gizmodo.com
- Footage captured by plane passenger shows Artemis II launch from air – video www.theguardian.com
- The Artemis II crew snapped some mesmerizing photos of Earth www.engadget.com
- La vista privilegiada de la Tierra desde Orión: los astronautas capturan las primeras fotografías www.20minutos.es
- Terraplanistas, ¿ahora qué?: la NASA publica la primera imagen de la Tierra desde la expedición Artemis II rumbo a la Luna www.huffingtonpost.es
- La NASA difunde las primeras imágenes de la Tierra desde la misión Artemis II www.heraldo.es
- NASA releases first stunning Artemis II photos of Earth from moon mission www.aljazeera.com