The Artemis II astronauts shared the first photo of Earth taken from aboard Orion
The astronauts of the Artemis II mission, who left Earth’s orbit on April 3, have released the first images of our planet taken from aboard the Orion spacecraft. The photo has already gone viral, reminiscent of the legendary “Earthrise” from the 1968 Apollo 8 mission.
This was reported by NASA.
The photograph shows the curved blue horizon of Earth against the backdrop of deep space, as well as part of the Orion spacecraft while it was still in Earth orbit. Social media users and experts have drawn parallels with William Anders’ famous image from the Apollo 8 mission.
The astronauts are continuing their flight to the Moon, where they plan to fly around the Moon on April 6 using a gravity assist maneuver, which will allow them to return to Earth on April 10–11.
As a reminder, the Artemis II mission launched on April 2 at 01:24 Kyiv time from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, together with Orion, successfully placed the crew on a trajectory to the Moon.
There are four astronauts on board the spacecraft: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. This crew symbolizes a new era in space exploration: Glover is the first Black astronaut on such a mission, Koch is the first woman, and Hansen is the first Canadian astronaut in deep space.
On Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA successfully launched the Artemis II mission, which became the first crewed flight around the Moon in over half a century.
The mission will be a crucial step in the Artemis program, which is preparing humans to return to the lunar surface.
The historic Artemis II mission, which sent humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, has already faced its first challenges. During the flight, the crew experienced a brief “radio silence” as well as everyday difficulties that cannot be resolved with a simple call to a repairman.
For the first time in over half a century, a crew of four astronauts left Earth’s orbit and set off toward the Moon. The mission’s main goal is to explore Earth’s satellite and the features of the Solar System, as well as to set a new record for flight distance.
