Earth Sets Over the Moon as Artemis II Hits New Distance Milestone

NASA released the new Earth-set image captured by the Artemis II crew during a far-side lunar flyby, showing Earth dipping below the Moon as the four astronauts — Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen — set a distance record of 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s mark. After a planned 40-minute communications blackout, the crew heads home toward a Pacific splashdown, while scientists use the imagery to study lunar origins and support the Artemis program’s goal to return humans to the Moon (including the south pole).