Florida: NASA’s Artemis II mission has delivered a stunning view of Earth from space shortly after its successful launch, marking a major step in humanity’s return to lunar exploration.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B on April 1. The mission includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
Hours after launch, a camera mounted on Orion’s solar array captured a rare image of Earth in its crescent phase. The photograph highlights the planet partially illuminated against the darkness of space as the spacecraft moved beyond Earth’s orbit.
Orion deployed its four solar arrays to generate power, while onboard systems underwent checks by the crew and ground teams. The mission reached a key milestone when the spacecraft performed a successful translunar injection burn, firing its main engine for about six minutes to enter a trajectory toward the Moon.
