Artemis II shows Earth from deep space as mission nears the moon

NASA has released the first images from inside the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, offering a rare view of Earth from deep space as the crew continues its journey toward the moon.

Taken by mission commander Reid Wiseman, one photograph shows Earth framed through the capsule window, covered in sweeping clouds and appearing almost to rise against the darkness. Another image captures the full globe, with oceans visible and a green aurora glowing across its surface.

By Friday morning, the crew — three American astronauts and one Canadian — were about 100,000 miles from Earth, steadily approaching the moon with roughly the same distance left to travel. They are expected to reach lunar orbit on Monday.

The mission, now in its third day of a planned 10-day flight, will see the astronauts fly around the moon without landing before returning to Earth. The trajectory was set after a key engine burn earlier in the journey.

For the crew, the experience is as emotional as it is technical. Christina Koch reflected on the moment during a call from space.

“I knew that that is what we would see,” she said.

“But there’s nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day and also the moon glow on it at night with a beautiful beam of the sunset and knowing that we’re going to get similar views of the moon. I’m really excited for that. And then, of course, heading home,” she added.

The most critical phase comes on day six, when the spacecraft will pass within 4,000 to 6,000 miles of the lunar surface, travelling around the far side of the moon — a distance not reached by humans in more than 50 years. During this flyby, astronauts will rehearse scientific observations planned for future missions.

After looping around the moon, Orion will use lunar gravity to slingshot back toward Earth, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 11.

Beyond the mission’s technical milestones, astronauts have also highlighted its broader meaning. Victor Glover described the view of Earth as a reminder of shared humanity.

“Trust us, you look amazing. You look beautiful,” he said.

“From up here, you look like one thing. Homo sapiens is all of us – no matter where you’re from or what you look like. We’re all one people.

“We call amazing things that humans do ‘moonshots’ for a reason. This mission brought us together and showed us what we can do … when we bring our differences together and use all the strengths to accomplish something great.”