{"id":594462,"date":"2026-04-09T00:05:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/594462\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T00:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T00:05:18","slug":"artemis-ii-hd-image-library-and-cinematic-launch-video-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/594462\/","title":{"rendered":"Artemis II HD Image Library and Cinematic Launch Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission has marked humanity\u2019s return to crewed deep space for the first time in more than 50 years, with the historic launch now documented in an extensive high\u2011definition image library.<\/p>\n

\"\"From left to right, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronauts Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo before the\u00a0Artemis II crew<\/a>\u00a0proceed to a media event on March 27, 2026.\u00a0Douglas and Gibbons are the backup crew members<\/a>\u00a0for the mission; they would join the crew if a NASA or CSA astronaut, respectively, is unable to take part in the flight.
Artemis II is NASA\u2019s first crewed mission under the Artemis program and will launch from the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will send Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. Among other objectives, the agency will test the Orion spacecraft\u2019s life support systems for the first time with people and lay the groundwork for future crewed Artemis missions.
Image credit: NASA\/Josh Valcarcel<\/p>\n

\"\"The Orion Crew Survival System suits that Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) will wear on the Artemis II test flight are seen in the suit-up room of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA\u2019s Artemis II test flight will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen around the Moon and back to Earth no later than April 2026. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Joel Kowsky)<\/p>\n

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The Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on April 1, 2026, carrying four astronauts on a 10\u2011day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"\"April 1, 2026. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft.
Image credit: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani<\/p>\n

The resulting images showcase the raw power of the SLS rocket, dramatic plume formations, crowd reactions and rare perspectives unavailable during previous Moon missions.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

Every phase of the launch was captured in crisp detail, from ignition and liftoff to tower clear and ascent, using a network of fixed, tracking, aerial and remote cameras positioned across the space centre.<\/p>\n

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\"\"art002e004357 (April 3, 2026) \u2013 Orion snapped this high-resolution selfie in space with a camera mounted on one of its solar array wings during a routine external inspection of the spacecraft on the second day into the Artemis II mission.
Image Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

\"\"A view of Earth taken by NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman from one of the Orion spacecraft\u2019s four main windows after completing the translunar injection burn on April 2, 2026.
Image Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

\"\"A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin on Monday, April 6, 2026. The right portion of the image shows the transition from smooth material within an inner ring of mountains to more rugged terrain around the rim. Vavilov and other craters and their ejecta are accentuated by long shadows at the terminator, the boundary between lunar day and night. The image was captured with a handheld camera at a focal length of 400 mm, as the crew flew around the far side of the Moon. Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

\"\"(April 6, 2026) \u2013 Midway through their lunar observation period, the Artemis II crew members \u2013 Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen \u2013 pause to turn the camera around for a selfie inside the Orion spacecraft.
Image Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

Beyond launch day, the Artemis II image collection also includes in\u2011flight views of Earth, the Moon and the Orion spacecraft itself, offering a complete visual record of NASA\u2019s first crewed Artemis mission.<\/p>\n

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\"\"The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft on Monday, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon\u2019s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars.
Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

\"\"The lunar surface fills the frame in sharp detail, as seen during NASA\u2019s Artemis II lunar flyby, while a distant Earth sets in the background. This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft and its crew went behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes before emerging on the other side. In this image, the dark portion of Earth is experiencing nighttime, while on its day side, swirling clouds are visible over the Australia and Oceania region. In the foreground, Ohm crater shows terraced edges and a relatively flat floor marked by central peaks \u2014 formed when the surface rebounded upward during the impact that created the crater. Credit: NASA<\/p>\n

All official imagery is available through NASA\u2019s public media library<\/a>, with assets cleared for editorial use across digital, broadcast and social platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission has marked humanity\u2019s return to crewed deep space for the first time in more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,63,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-594462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}