The far side of the moon artemis ii – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content
The homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.
The homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.

All the news of NASA’s Artemis program, the agency’s attempt to return humans to the Moon

See all Stories

Posted
T
Terrence O'Brien
The far side of the Moon peeks out to say hi.

NASA shared this photo taken by the Artemis II crew today, showing the Orientale basin in its entirety for the first time. The far side is also becoming visible as the mission approaches its destination.

The Artemis II crew took this photo on day 4 of their journey to the Moon. In it, the Moon is oriented with the South Pole at the top and are beginning to see parts of the lunar far side. Orientale basin is on the right edge of the lunar disk in this image. Artemis II marks the first time that humans have seen the entire basin. The Artemis II crew will continue to observe Orientale from multiple angles as they approach the Moon and throughout the lunar flyby. Orientale is the textbook multi-ring impact basin used as a baseline to compare other impact craters on rocky worlds from Mercury to Pluto.
Image: NASA
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Comments
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...

Most Popular

Most Popular
  1. Our long national sunscreen nightmare is almost over
  2. Kaleidescape’s movie player blows streaming, and your wallet, away
  3. Barret Zoph is out at OpenAI again after just five months
  4. Midjourney goes from generating cat images to full-body ultrasound scans
  5. Hue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystem

More in Science

NASA selects Eric Schmidt’s rocket company for a 2028 mission to MarsNASA selects Eric Schmidt’s rocket company for a 2028 mission to Mars
Our long national sunscreen nightmare is almost overOur long national sunscreen nightmare is almost over
Midjourney goes from generating cat images to full-body ultrasound scansMidjourney goes from generating cat images to full-body ultrasound scans
Jackery announces ‘world’s slimmest’ fridge batteryJackery announces ‘world’s slimmest’ fridge battery
A trillion dollars is a stupid amount of moneyA trillion dollars is a stupid amount of money
Elon Musk is the world’s first trillionaireElon Musk is the world’s first trillionaire

Top Stories