Astronauts aboard Artemis II have released their first breathtaking images from the Orion capsule as they travel toward the moon, offering a powerful new view of earth from deep space.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman captured the photos after the spacecraft completed its translunar injection burn on April 2, a critical maneuver that set it on its lunar path.
The image we selected for this story shows earth backlit, with bright auroras visible at the top right and bottom left. Scientists also identified zodiacal light at the edge of the frame as earth briefly eclipsed the Sun.
The historic mission will carry the crew to the farthest distance ever reached by humans in space.
NASA said the mission remains on track, with all systems now functioning normally. During the first few hours of launch, the $23 million space toilet aboard Artemis was inoperable. But NASA said the commode was working by the crew’s first night.
The space agency also said that all crew members were in ‘great spirit’ on day three. The four astronauts have traveled over 100,000 miles from warth and still have about 150,000 miles to reach the moon.
The 10-day mission does not include a landing but prepares for future lunar missions planned for 2028.