Artemis II’s Moonbound Astronauts Capture Earth’s Brilliant Blue Beauty as They Leave It Behind

A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman from the Orion spacecraft's window after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026. NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—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, 1.5 days into the first astronaut moonshot in more than half a century.