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The crew is about 160,000 kilometers from Earth and is approaching the Moon in a historic mission around it.
NASA has released the first images taken from inside the Orion capsule of the Artemis II mission, where four astronauts are traveling on a mission around the moon. In a photo released Friday, mission commander Reid Wiseman captured a view of Earth through the capsule's window. The image shows the planet covered in vast cloud formations, appearing to "rise" beyond the spacecraft as the crew continues their journey.
Another image shows the entire globe with the oceans visible. A green aurora also shines.
As of noon Friday, Wiseman and his crew were about 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers) from Earth and rapidly approaching the moon, with another 160,000 miles (258,000 kilometers) to go. They are expected to reach their destination on Monday.
Three American astronauts and one Canadian will fly around the moon in the Orion capsule before returning to Earth without touching down on the surface. The spacecraft was placed on this trajectory after the crew fired Orion's main engine Thursday evening.
"I knew this was what we were going to see," mission specialist Christina Koch, the first woman to travel around the Moon, told ABC News in a video link Thursday evening.
She continued, "There is nothing that can prepare you for the awe-inspiring aspect of seeing your planet, both illuminated by day and also with the light of the moon reflecting off it at night, with a beautiful sunset glow, and knowing that we will have similar views of the moon."
"I'm very excited about this. And then, of course, returning home," she said.
"Suddenly, we're up there with them."
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026
We're sharing the Artemis II crew's first images from space—keep following our 24/7 live feed for the latest mission updates: https://t.co/BezILihoZc pic.twitter.com/OwgYsWnngp
On the sixth day of the mission, the crew will fly by the Moon. The spacecraft will reach maximum approach, about 4,000–6,000 miles (6,450–9,650 kilometers) above the lunar surface.
The astronauts will travel around the far side of the Moon, becoming the first humans to go that far into deep space in more than 50 years. Ahead of that phase, the crew is practicing the scientific observations they plan to make during the lunar flyby.
A flyby is when a spacecraft flies around a planet or moon without landing, using its gravity to change direction and return to where it came from.
After orbiting the Moon, the spacecraft will use its own gravity to return to Earth. Ocean landing is expected in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego, on April 11 at around 00:06 GMT (8:06 p.m. Eastern Time on April 10).
For the astronauts, this journey is not just a technical mission, but also a personal experience. Seeing Earth from deep space serves as a reminder of humanity's shared identity, said Victor Glover, the first black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit.
"Trust us, you look amazing. You look beautiful," Glover told ABC, describing the view of Earth from space.
“From up here, you look like one. We are all Homo sapiens, no matter where you come from or what you look like. We are one people. We call extraordinary human achievements ‘moonshots’ for a reason. This mission brought us together and showed what we can do … when we unite our differences and use all our strengths to achieve something great.”
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