NASA Releases Images from Artemis II Mission After Crew's Lunar Flyby

The crew surpassed the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, traveling approximately 400,000 kilometers from Earth.

The images show previously unseen details of the moon's far side, including craters and basins. NASA and the White House distributed the photos, which also capture a setting Earth and a solar eclipse observed from space. The astronauts used iPhones to take some photographs, though the devices could not connect to the internet.

The Orion spacecraft entered a communications blackout at 6:44 p.

m. Eastern time on April 6, 2026, as it looped around the moon's far side, the first human mission to do so since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew emerged from the blackout after approximately one hour. During the flyby, they reached a closest approach of about 7,000 kilometers from the lunar surface.

Scientists refer to the moon's backside as the far side rather than the dark side, as it receives sunlight but remains hidden from Earth. The mission tested systems for future lunar landings under NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and prepare for Mars missions. No landing occurred during Artemis II, which served as a crewed test flight.

The astronauts named a moon crater after Carroll Wiseman, the late wife of commander Reid Wiseman, who died in 2020 from cancer.

They proposed another crater be named Integrity, after the Orion spacecraft. The crew shared these proposals during a livestream with mission control in Houston and an international audience. President Donald Trump called the crew to congratulate them on their achievement.

The conversation highlighted the mission's role in advancing plans for moon and Mars exploration initiated during his first term.

“The crew had spent part of yesterday morning looking out the window at the moon.”

After the lunar flyby, the crew had a quiet day en route to Earth, with splashdown expected on April 14, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean. Families of the astronauts supported the mission from the ground, with preparations beginning at crew assignment. The photos and data from the mission could contribute to understanding the moon's origins through analysis of ancient craters, some dating back 4 billion years.

The Artemis II mission demonstrated NASA's capability for deep-space human travel, with the spacecraft providing life support in vacuum conditions. All systems performed as planned, supporting readiness for future Artemis flights.