The Artemis II astronauts have shared their first downlinked images from deep space, offering a view of Earth as the crew continues its outbound path toward the moon in NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
NASA released the images on Friday, 1½ days into the mission that began with a translunar trajectory and is designed to swing the crew around the moon before returning to Earth. The photos were sent back after Mission Control shifted the position of the Orion capsule, allowing the crew to capture views that filled the spacecraft windows with the planet below.
In one image, taken by commander Reid Wiseman, Earth appears as a curved slice through a capsule window. A second view shows the full globe, with oceans topped by swirling clouds, and NASA said a green aurora glowed as well.
“They’re the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972,” the Associated Press reported, describing Artemis II’s approach as the crew begins the long outbound leg. The mission’s four astronauts—three Americans and one Canadian—will continue the trajectory, swing around the moon, then head straight back home without stopping.
In a statement shared with NASA, Lakiesha Hawkins, an exploration systems leader, said, “It’s great to think that with the exception of our four friends, all of us are represented in this image,” and added that the mission was going well. Wiseman also described the moment the crew saw Earth fill their windows after the positioning change, saying in a TV interview: “It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks.”
As of late Friday afternoon, Wiseman and the crew were more than 110,000 miles (180,000 kilometers) from Earth, according to the report, and they were quickly gaining on the moon with another 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometers) to go. The crew is expected to reach its destination on Monday.