NASA has marked a historic moment in space exploration after astronauts aboard the Artemis II mission captured the first human view of the Moon’s Orientale basin.
Awe-inspiring new photos taken by the four-member Artemis II crew show striking views of both Earth and the Moon as their journey continues.
Among them, one image stands out for revealing part of the Orientale basin, a region never before seen directly by human eyes.
According to a report by CNN News, only robotic spacecraft had previously imaged this remote lunar feature.
The basin, which lies on the edge of the Moon’s near and far sides, is considered a key transition region.
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Check out the picture here:
Astronauts capture rare lunar views:
The Orientale basin is also believed to be the youngest of the Moon’s large impact basins.
{{/usCountry}}The Orientale basin is also believed to be the youngest of the Moon’s large impact basins.
{{/usCountry}}Its distinct outer ring spans roughly 950 kilometres from east to west, highlighting the scale and complexity of the feature now being observed by astronauts in real time.
Launched on April 1, 2026, the Artemis II mission carries four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. The crew is now more than halfway to the Moon, with a highly anticipated lunar flyby scheduled for Monday.
As the spacecraft moves closer, the astronauts noted that the Moon appears larger and more detailed through Orion’s windows with each passing moment.
Here's how people reacted to the picture:
The image of the Orientale basin quickly drew strong reactions online, with many people expressing amazement at the rare human view of the lunar feature. Users described the sight as surreal and humbling.
One of the users commented, “Moments like this will be studied for generations.”
A second user commented, “A glimpse of the Moon no human has ever truly seen before—this is how we push the boundaries of exploration.”
A third user commented, “Looks breathtaking.”
“History in the making… and we’re literally witnessing it in real time,” another user commented.
NASA also shared a striking comparison of Earth from space in a post on X, posting images captured decades apart.
One was taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972, while the other was recently photographed by the Artemis II astronauts.
“We’ve come so far in the last 54 years, but one thing hasn’t changed: Our home looks gorgeous from space! The left view is from the Apollo 17 crew in 1972, and the right was captured yesterday by the Artemis II crew,” the post reads.