Artemis II Crew Captures Moon’s Far Side During Flyby
Newly released photographs from the Artemis II test flight offer views of the lunar far side and an eclipse seen from space. The images were taken during a seven-hour passage around the Moon.
NASA has released the first lunar flyby photographs taken by the Artemis II astronauts, providing a crew-level view of terrain hidden from observers on Earth. The images document humanity’s renewed journey into the Moon’s vicinity during a landmark crewed test flight.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch recorded the scenes alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Their seven-hour flyby took place on April 6, 2026, with the photographs made public the following day.
The collection includes vistas of the Moon’s far side as well as an in-space view of a solar eclipse. Together, the pictures capture both the stark lunar landscape and the changing alignment of the Sun, Moon and spacecraft from a perspective unavailable on Earth.
Beyond their visual impact, the photographs provide a human record of Artemis II’s passage around the Moon. The flight represents a major test of NASA’s effort to send astronauts back into deep space and build experience for future lunar missions.
