Artemis II: Far side of the Moon pictured for the first time
The incredible pictures have been captured by the Artemis II crew from the NASA Orion Capsule.
The White House has released the first photo taken from the far side of the Moon. The stunning NASA photo taken aboard the Orion spacecraft, shows Earth gradually disappearing beneath the Moon’s horizon
"Humanity, from the other side. First photo from the far side of the Moon. Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon," the picture, dated April 6, was captioned on a post on X. It is the first time in history, humans have directly observed the Moon’s entire far side with their own eyes. The four Artemis II astronauts made on Monday overnight after venturing further into space than any humans have ever gone.
EARTHSET.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 7, 2026
April 6, 2026.
Humanity, from the other side. First photo from the far side of the Moon. Captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon. Photo: NASA pic.twitter.com/ZEBTQA85TY
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At a distance of 252,757 miles from Earth, the crew were so near the Moon that it appeared about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length, according to NASA.
The record was achieved during a seven-hour lunar flyby which included a 40-minute communication blackout as they passed around the far side of the Moon from Earth.
Mission specialist Christina Koch was first to speak. "Houston, Integrity, comm check," she said. "It is so great to hear from Earth again."
The communication loss occurred as the spacecraft soared beyond the Moon's far side, blocking radio and laser signals, cutting off channels with NASA Mission Control.
The crew will now spend the next four days travelling back to Earth after a historic mission. The Orion spacecraft is due to exit the lunar sphere of influence some 41,000 miles from the moon later today and the first return trajectory correction will be carried out as the team heads back towards Earth.
A mission update is also expected at around 9.30pm UK time.
Earlier this morning, April 7, the crew then took part in a short Q&A led by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.
Christina Koch reflected on fast the mission has gone by, before adding: "I'm not ready to go home."
They were also asked what had surprised them most after years of preparing for the mission.
Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said the thing that impressed him most was seeing "the three-dimensionality" of Earth from space.
"When we were on the far side of the Moon, looking back at Earth ... you really felt like you weren't in a capsule, you'd been transported," he says.
"It really just bent your mind. It was an extraordinary human experience. I'm so grateful for it."
