'Humanity From The Other Side': First Pic From The Far Side of The Moon | Artemis II

The White House has shared the first picture from the far side of the Moon on its official X handle, with a caption, “Humanity from the other side.” The picture, captured by the Artemis II crew, showed the Earth dipping beyond the lunar horizon.

The stunning picture of the Earthset was captured by NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman on April 6, 2026 (EST), when the Artemis II crew on board the Orion spacecraft 'Integrity' reached the far side of the Moon. The dark portion of Earth seen in the picture is experiencing nighttime. On Earth’s day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region, NASA said.

The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years earlier as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon.  

Artemis II 

Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.

Following its successful liftoff from Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, the ‘Integrity’ spacecraft carried four astronauts on a historic 10-day mission, marking the first human journey beyond low-Earth orbit since 1972, when Apollo astronauts went to the Moon.

Way Back Home

The Artemis II astronauts are now on their way back to Earth after having travelled farther into deep space than any other human in history of mankind. The four astronauts, namely Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, have become the first humans to see the far side of the Moon from naked eyes.

Also Read- 'Awake or Dreaming, We're All Here': Artemis II Captures Stunning Day/Night Terminator Across Earth