A view of the near side of the Moon, the side we always see from Earth, as seen from the Orion spacecraft.
NASA
The astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft captured this photo of the Moon's near side on April 4, 2026. The image features dark patches at center and right; these are ancient lava flows, which are unique to this side of the Moon.
The Artemis II astronauts - astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen - are set to fly around the Moon on April 6, 2026. Join us for live coverage of the event, starting at 1 p.m. EDT.
Image credit: NASA
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
