Nasa: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released the first flyby images of the Moon captured by the Artemis II astronauts during their historic test flight.
According to Ghana News Agency, the images, taken on April 6, 2026, during the mission's seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side, reveal some regions no human has seen, including a rare in-space solar eclipse. In a news release issued on Tuesday, April 7, NASA stated that its astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, used a fleet of cameras to take thousands of photos.
The Agency mentioned it would release more images in the coming days as the crew members are now more than halfway through their journey and headed home toward Earth. 'Our four Artemis II astronauts - Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy - took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come,' said Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA highlighted that during the lunar flyby, the crew documented impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface fractures that would assist scientists in studying the Moon's geologic evolution. The crew monitored color, brightness, and texture differences across the terrain, observed an earthset and earthrise, and captured solar-eclipse views of the Sun's corona. They also reported six meteoroid impact flashes on the darkened lunar surface.
According to NASA, scientists have started analyzing the downlinked images, audio, and data to refine the timing and locations of the events. The new imagery will also help NASA better understand the Moon's geology and inform future exploration and science missions that will lay the foundation for an enduring presence on the Moon ahead of future astronaut missions to Mars, the Agency stated.