Artemis II Update: Astronauts Send 1st Photos Back to Earth

The Artemis II astronauts have sent the first "downlinked images" back to Earth.

In a major update, NASA released the photos on April 3. One was a photo of Earth taken by Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA wrote in a statement. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft "lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT on April 1, sending the four astronauts on a planned 10-day test flight around the Moon and back," NASA wrote.

The 1st Photo Shows Earth Eclipsing the Sun, NASA Says

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman "took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window after completing the translunar injection burn," NASA explained. "There are two auroras (top right and bottom left) and zodiacal light (bottom right) is visible as the Earth eclipses the Sun."

Added the space agency: "This and another photo of Earth are the first downlinked images from the Artemis II astronauts."

The second photo was described as "a view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft's four main windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026."

In Another Update, NASA Explained That the 4 Astronauts Are 'on a Precise Trajectory Toward the Moon'

NASA provided an update about the four astronauts on April 3. "For the first time in more than 50 years, astronauts on a NASA mission are bound to fly around the Moon after successfully completing a key burn of Orion’s main engine," NASA wrote.

"With the approximately six-minute firing of the spacecraft’s service module engine on Thursday, known as the translunar injection burn, Orion and its crew of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen accelerated to break free of Earth’s orbit and began the outbound trajectory toward Earth’s nearest neighbor," added NASA.

“Today, for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have departed Earth orbit. Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy now are on a precise trajectory toward the Moon. Orion is operating with crew for the first time in space, and we are gathering critical data, and learning from each step,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“Each milestone we reach marks meaningful progress on the path forward for the Artemis program. While we have eight intensive days of work ahead, this is a big moment, and we’re proud to share it with the world.” 

After reaching space, "Orion deployed its four solar array wings, enabling the spacecraft to receive energy from the Sun, while the crew and engineers on the ground immediately began transitioning the spacecraft from launch to flight operations to start checking out key systems," NASA wrote.

"About 49 minutes into the test flight, the SLS rocket’s upper stage fired to put Orion into an elliptical orbit around Earth. A second planned burn by the stage propelled Orion, which the crew named “Integrity,” into a high Earth orbit extending about 46,000 miles above the Earth for about 24 hours of system checkouts. After the burn, Orion separated from the stage, flying free on its own," added NASA. "The crew then conducted a manual piloting demonstration to test Orion’s handling qualities using the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) as a docking target."

At the conclusion of the demonstration, Orion "executed an automated departure burn to safely back away from the ICPS, after which the stage performed its own disposal burn and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over a remote region of the Pacific Ocean," added NASA.

What's Next for Artemis II?

What's next for Artemis II?

"During a planned lunar flyby on Monday, April 6, the astronauts will take high resolution photographs and provide their own observations of the lunar surface, including areas of the far side of the Moon never seen directly by humans," NASA wrote. "Although the lunar far side will only be partially illuminated during the flyby, the conditions should create shadows that stretch across the surface, enhancing relief and revealing depth, ridges, slopes, and crater rims that are often difficult to detect under full illumination."

"Following a successful lunar flyby, the astronauts will return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego," NASA wrote.

"As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly challenging missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars."

Related: