It was a moment for the history books: The Artemis II mission performed its much anticipated lunar flyby yesterday, and came within just 4,067 miles of the moon.
While soaring aboard their Orion capsule beyond the far side of the moon, the crew also reached an estimated 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking Apollo 13’s record for the farthest humans have traveled into space.
The flyby lasted seven hours, during which the astronauts could enjoy views of the lunar surface previously unseen by human eyes, with about 21% of the moon’s mysterious far side illuminated by the sun from the crew’s perspective.
First photo from the far side of the moon captured from Orion as Earth dips beyond the lunar horizon, April 6, 2026.
NASA
Working in two shifts across roughly five hours, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen took about 10,000 photos, according to NASA’s livestream of the mission.
Communications stopped for about 40 minutes during Orion’s transit behind the moon. The crew members saw “Earthset,” or Earth appear to set behind the moon, not dissimilar to what the Apollo astronauts witnessed in 1968.
They were also treated to a very special solar eclipse.
To the Artemis II crew, the moon appeared much larger through the windows of Orion than it does on Earth. As the moon blocked the sun from view, parts of the solar corona, or the sun’s outer atmosphere, appeared visible, including structures called streamers they described as “baby hairs.”
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun.
NASA
Totality, or when the sun is entirely blocked from view during an eclipse, lasted nearly an hour for the astronauts, while totality on Earth is typically just a few minutes long.
The astronauts could also see planets like Mars, Venus and Saturn, as well as stars, and Earthshine, or the glow of Earth’s light.
After the flyby, Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman thanked the NASA science team for putting together such an exciting observing program for them, as well as “some great, truly human experience moments here.”
“We were well prepared, and we appreciate all of you, and this is what we do best when we all come together and work as a team,” Wiseman said. “So y’all knocked it out of the park. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.”
Science officer Dr. Kelsey Young in turn shared her gratitude with the crew: “I can’t say enough how much science we’ve already learned and how much inspiration you’ve provided to our entire team, the lunar science community and the entire world with what you were able to bring today. You really brought the moon closer for us today. And we cannot say thank you enough.”
The photos will help inform scientists’ understanding of the moon and its origins – and lay the groundwork for future missions to the lunar surface.
“You know from your experience of seeing the Earth from space how it just seems different,” said Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, while speaking with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman about the flyby.
“When we were on the far side of the moon, looking back at Earth, you really felt like you weren’t in a capsule. You’d been transported to the far side of the moon. And it really just bent your mind. It was an extraordinary human experience. We’re so grateful for it.”
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