Astronauts aboard Artemis II have taken the first-ever photograph of Earth rising above the far side of the Moon, in a historic moment for space exploration.
The crew travelled around the Moon’s hidden hemisphere—never visible from Earth—becoming the first humans to observe its craters and vast lava plains directly.
Commander Reid Wiseman said: “We saw sights that no human has ever seen, not even during the Apollo missions, and that was amazing for us.”
WATCH IN FULL 🇺🇸 https://t.co/NBEzoT1uwR pic.twitter.com/V2e1pY4wlv
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 7, 2026
Flying aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the astronauts documented their journey using digital photography, sketches, and audio recordings. During the mission, the crew lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes as they passed behind the Moon—an expected blackout due to the lunar body blocking communications, the Mirror reported.
As the spacecraft approached within a few thousand miles of the surface, the astronauts also witnessed a total solar eclipse, with the Moon completely obscuring the Sun.
EARTHSET.
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
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 7, 2026
In another milestone, Artemis II broke the record for the farthest distance travelled by humans in space, surpassing the 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
President Donald Trump congratulated the crew, telling them they had “made history and made all of America incredibly proud.”
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