Four astronauts are on NASA's Artemis II mission. They are traveling to the Moon. They have now reached the halfway point of their journey. This is the first time humans have gone beyond Earth's orbit since 1972. Commander Reid Wiseman took a photo of Earth from the Orion capsule. The photo shows Earth from very far away.
The spacecraft left Earth's orbit and is now heading toward the far side of the Moon. The far side always faces away from Earth. People on Earth can never see it, because the Moon turns at the same speed as it travels around Earth. Only Apollo astronauts, who flew to the Moon between 1968 and 1972, have seen the far side before.
Artemis II is the second flight in NASA's Artemis program. The first flight, Artemis I, flew in 2022, but it had no crew. Artemis II has four astronauts on board. The mission tests the Orion capsule's life support systems and navigation. This is important before future missions try to land on the Moon.
The Orion capsule was built by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA provided the service module, which powers the spacecraft. Many countries are now working together on Moon missions to achieve their goals.
The crew has now passed the halfway point. The hardest part of the journey is over. The spacecraft will fly around the far side of the Moon. Then the Moon's gravity will send it back to Earth.