The astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft captured this photo of the Moon’s near side on April 4, 2026. The image features dark patches at center and right; these are ancient lava flows, which are unique to this side of the Moon.
The Artemis II astronauts – astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – are set to fly around the Moon on April 6, 2026. Join us for live coverage of the event, starting at 1 p.m. EDT.
Image credit: NASA