NASA Releases Images of Artemis II's Flight Behind the Moon

By Matthew Williams - April 09, 2026 08:44 PM UTC | Missions
Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. Credit: NASA
Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. Credit: NASA

NASA's Artemis II mission has completed its pass of the far side of the Moon, establishing a new distance record for a crewed spaceflight, over 400,000 km (250,000 mi) from Earth. And in the process, its four-person crew is capturing images of lunar regions no human has ever seen! Fortunately for the rest of us, they are beaming these images home and providing a treasure trove of scientific data in the process. The images, released on Tuesday, were captured by the crew on April 6th during their seven-hour flyby of the far side of the Moon.

The crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, took thousands of pictures using what NASA describes as a "fleet" of cameras. Several have been released so far (which you can access here), and many more are expected in the coming days as the crew heads home to Earth. The images feature impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures that are a historical record of the Moon's geological evolution.

The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. Credit: NASA *The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during the Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. Credit: NASA*

“Our four Artemis II astronauts — Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy — took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come," said Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. The images also captured an earthrise and an earthset (similar to what the Apollo missions witnessed), some rare solar eclipse views of the Sun's corona, and six impact flashes caused by meteoroids.

NASA scientists are analyzing the images, audio, and data on these impacts and comparing them with observations by amateur astronomers. These will help scientists refine the timing and locations of these events. The new images will also help NASA scientists to better understand the Moon's geology and inform future exploration and science missions. All of this will lay the foundations for future exploration and science missions, as well as for the creation of permanent habitats around the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Said Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist at the agency’s headquarters:

It was remarkable listening to the crew describe the stunning views during the flyby. At first, their descriptions didn’t quite match what we were seeing on our screens. Now that higher resolution images are coming down, we can finally experience the moments they were trying to share and truly appreciate the scientific return provided by these images and our other research on this mission.

Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. Credit: NASA *Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. Credit: NASA*

Further Reading: NASA

Matthew Williams

Matthew Williams

Matt Williams is a space journalist, science communicator, and author with several published titles and studies. His work is featured in The Ross 248 Project and Interstellar Travel edited by NASA alumni Les Johnson and Ken Roy. He also hosts the podcast series Stories from Space at ITSP Magazine. He lives in beautiful British Columbia with his wife and family. For more information, check out his website.