Artemis II Astronauts Observe Lunar Far Side Midway Through Mission to Moon

NASA's Artemis II mission launched on Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the first crewed lunar voyage in more than 50 years. The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

They lifted off aboard the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, becoming the first humans to fly on this new system.

The spacecraft conducted a key engine burn on Thursday evening, placing it on a trajectory toward the moon. By Saturday, the astronauts had reached the midpoint of their journey and caught their first glimpses of the lunar far side through the Orion capsule's windows. This side of the moon remains invisible from Earth due to tidal locking.

Christina Koch described the view as unfamiliar, noting that the darker regions appeared out of place compared to her Earth-based observations. "The darker parts just aren’t quite in the right place," she said in an interview with NBC News from space.

" The crew compared the sights to their training materials to confirm they were viewing the far side.

Reid Wiseman called the mission a "magnificent accomplishment" and highlighted the unique perspective of seeing Earth nearly in full eclipse and the moon in full daylight. "The only way you could get that view is to be halfway between the two entities," he said.

Koch emphasized the human elements of the flight, including rest and routine tasks like changing socks within the Orion capsule's 16.5-foot habitable volume, comparable to a camper van.

The astronauts spoke with family members on Friday and Saturday, which Wiseman described as the greatest moment of his life. "It was surreal," he said. "For a moment, I was reunited with my little family." Post-launch, the crew tested life-support systems and addressed minor issues, including email glitches and toilet malfunctions, but reported the flight as smooth overall.

At 12:41 a.m. ET on Monday, the Orion capsule will enter the moon's sphere of influence, where lunar gravity surpasses Earth's pull. The six-hour lunar flyby begins at 2:45 p.m. ET, during which the crew will approach within 4,600 miles of the surface. From this distance, the moon will appear the size of a basketball at arm's length.

The mission will set a new record for human distance from Earth, reaching 252,757 miles at 7:05 p.m. ET, surpassing Apollo 13's 248,655 miles by 4,100 miles. This mark will be achieved at 1:56 p.m. ET. The astronauts will photograph craters, ridges, and ancient lava flows to aid scientific understanding of the moon's and solar system's formation.

Toward the flyby's end, at 8:35 p.m. ET, the crew will witness a solar eclipse lasting nearly an hour, with the moon blocking the sun and revealing its corona. They may observe light flashes from impacts on the lunar surface. Even Apollo missions viewed limited portions of the far side due to their trajectories and timing.

m. ET on Friday. Jeremy Hansen described the experience as humbling and emotional, filled with joy and disbelief. "Right away, you are humbled," he said. " He noted that in-space views surpass transmitted photos in spectacular detail.