Space

New Photos of Earth from Artemis II Astronauts

The Artemis II astronauts have captured Earth's brilliant blue beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon.

Associated Press

Apr 3, 2026 — 2 min read

Photo provided by NASA showing a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from of the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026, via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., April 3, 2026 (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever closer to the moon.

NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.

Upper right image from NASA showing the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist **Jeremy Hansen**, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist **Christina Koch** and pilot **Victor Glover** as they appear on a video conference from the moon's orbit on Thursday, April 2, 2026.

The first photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds.