White House Reveals First-Ever Photo From Moon’s Far Side During Artemis II Mission

The White House has released the first image captured from the far side of the Moon by the NASA Artemis II mission, offering a rare view of Earth from beyond the lunar horizon.

The photo, taken by the Orion spacecraft during its historic flyby, shows Earth appearing to dip behind the Moon, a perspective only a handful of missions have ever approached. The image marks a milestone as astronauts travel farther from Earth than any humans before them.

A second image released alongside it captures a dramatic moment in space, showing the Moon eclipsing the Sun from the crew’s vantage point in lunar orbit, highlighting the unique positioning of the spacecraft during the mission.

The Artemis II crew, led by Reid Wiseman, includes Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. The mission has already surpassed the distance record set during Apollo 13, reaching more than 250,000 miles from Earth.

President Donald Trump spoke directly with the astronauts during the mission, praising them for pushing the boundaries of human exploration and calling their achievement a defining moment.

He highlighted the mission as a stepping stone toward long-term goals, including establishing a sustained presence on the Moon and eventually sending humans to Mars.

Members of the crew reflected on the significance of the journey, emphasizing both the technical achievement and the broader importance of continued leadership in space exploration.

The images and milestone underscore a renewed era of deep space travel, as the Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon and expand the frontier of exploration beyond Earth orbit.