First-ever view of Moon’s hidden side captured by Artemis II crew, NASA shares stunning image
The Artemis II crew is travelling on a mission to fly around the Moon and photograph its mysterious far side. Today, NASA shared a image of the Moon captured by the Artemis II crew. The image posted by NASA shows the entire Orientale Basin on the right edge of the lunar disk, which has never been seen before.
In a post, NASA said, “In this new image from our @NASAArtemis II crew, you can see the Orientale Basin on the right edge of the lunar disk. This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes.”
The three Americans and one Canadian are onboard the Orion spacecraft, which is expected to reach its destination on Monday. The crew includes Canada’s Jeremy Hansen and Americans Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch. They are the first humans to travel to the Moon since the Apollo 17 crew in 1972. Koch and Glover are set to become the first woman and first Black astronaut, respectively, to travel to the Moon.
History in the making
In this new image from our @NASAArtemis II crew, you can see Orientale basin on the right edge of the lunar disk. This mission marks the first time the entire basin has been seen with human eyes. pic.twitter.com/iqjod6gqgz
— NASA (@NASA) April 5, 2026
The objective of the Artemis II mission is to photograph the Moon’s far side. It marks the first crewed lunar mission in more than 53 years, picking up where NASA’s Apollo programme left off.
Artemis II is also set to break distance records for human spaceflight, travelling more than 252,000 miles (400,000 km) from Earth before looping around the Moon and heading back without landing or entering lunar orbit. The current record is held by Apollo 13. According to an AP report, the spacecraft had already crossed the halfway mark to the Moon by Sunday.
The nearly 10-day mission, set to conclude with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, is the first step in NASA’s long-term plan to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The agency aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole by 2028.
Toilet issues in Space
While the launch went smoothly, the crew soon encountered a challenge: a malfunctioning toilet. Until the Orion capsule’s bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed astronauts to rely more on backup urine collection bags, according to an AP report.
The report added that NASA engineers suspect ice may be blocking the system, preventing urine from properly flushing overboard. The toilet, however, remains functional for solid waste.
John Honeycutt, chair of the mission management team, said that while the system is not operating at full capacity, it is still usable and the astronauts are doing fine.
