NASA's Artemis II Mission Crew Returns from Lunar Orbit with New Images and Records

NASA's Artemis II mission crew departed the Moon's sphere of influence on their return to Earth after orbiting the lunar far side. The mission involved four astronauts: three Americans—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch—and one Canadian, Jeremy Hansen. They traveled farther from Earth than any humans since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The crew captured images from lunar orbit, including Earth setting behind the Moon and the Moon eclipsing the Sun. These photos were taken during the flyby of the Moon's far side. NASA released the imagery, which also includes close-ups of lunar craters and the far side surface.

The Artemis II astronauts surpassed the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, reaching approximately 400,000 kilometers from Earth.

The Orion spacecraft carried the crew on a 10-day test flight, the first crewed Artemis mission. The journey included a communications blackout period lasting several hours while looping around the Moon's far side. During the mission, the crew proposed naming two craters on the Moon's far side.

One suggestion is for the crater to be named Integrity, after the Orion spacecraft. The second proposal honors Carroll Wiseman, the late wife of commander Reid Wiseman, who died in 2020; this crater is near the boundary between the Moon's near and far sides and visible from Earth part of the year.

The astronauts used iPhones to capture some images inside the spacecraft, though without internet connectivity.

Family members of the crew participated remotely from Houston, supporting the mission from assignment through completion.

Trump called the crew to congratulate them on the mission's success.

The conversation highlighted the mission as a step toward NASA's plans for lunar and Mars exploration, initiated during his first term. " — BBC News analysis, post-mission The images confirm NASA's readiness for future lunar missions, including potential landings.

The far side of the Moon, often called the dark side, received scientific attention through these close-range views from about 7,000 kilometers.