From left: The Orion spacecraft lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida; a total solar eclipse as viewed from the moon; and Earth setting behind the surface of the moon. (Image credit: NASA)
Published 2026-04-13 06:00
The spacecraft landed at 8:07 p.m. ET on April 10
The Artemis II mission that launched astronauts back to the moon for the first time in 50 years ended on April 10 when the four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
On April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET, the Orion spacecraft lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the crew began the 1.1 million-kilometre, 10-day journey.
They orbited the moon and travelled farther into space than any other humans.
Along the way, they also captured some spectacular photos.
For the first time, we got a glance at sides of the moon that human eyes have not seen before.
During the seven-hour passage behind the moon, the crew observed craters and surface details of the rear side of the moon.
Here are some of the captivating images from the historic mission:
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