Astronaut Jeremy Hansen captures an image through the camera shroud covering window 2 of the Orion spacecraft. The camera shroud, essentially a curtain with a hole for the lens to pass through, is used to prevent light from the cabin from reflecting on the windowpanes. (NASA, Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
HOUSTON – New images of the moon from NASA’s Artemis II mission are offering rare, detailed views from deep space, captured using a carefully selected set of cameras aboard the spacecraft.
At Johnson Space Center, Paul Reichert, a photography and video specialist in flight operations, said capturing imagery during the lunar flyby was one of several key objectives for the mission.
Recommended Videos
“There’s a whole science team at NASA that is interested in the imagery that comes from the lunar flyby,” Reichert said. “We had to figure out what equipment would satisfy those requirements.”
A close-up view taken by the Artemis II crew of Vavilov Crater on the rim of the older and larger Hertzsprung basin. 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. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
The crew aboard the Orion spacecraft is using a mix of professional-grade cameras and consumer technology to document the mission. That includes a Nikon D5 equipped with an 80–400-millimeter lens for detailed shots of the moon’s surface, including craters, as well as wide-angle lenses for capturing stars and broader views.
Captured by the Artemis II crew during their lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, this image shows the Moon fully eclipsing the Sun. From the crew’s perspective, the Moon appears large enough to completely block the Sun, creating nearly 54 minutes of totality and extending the view far beyond what is possible from Earth.
We see a glowing halo around the dark lunar disk. The science community is investigating whether this effect is due to the corona, zodiacal light, or a combination of the two.
Also visible are stars, typically too faint to see when imaging the Moon, but with the Moon in darkness stars are readily imaged. This unique vantage point provides both a striking visual and a valuable opportunity for astronauts to document their observations during humanity’s return to deep space. The faint glow of the nearside of the Moon is visible in this image, having been illuminated by light reflected off the Earth. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
A Nikon Z9 camera with a 35 millimeter lens was used to capture events such as a solar eclipse, while GoPro cameras provide live views to mission control, allowing teams on the ground to follow along and share imagery more broadly.
In this view of the Moon, the Artemis II crew captured an intricate snapshot of the rings of the Orientale basin, one of the Moon’s youngest and best-preserved large impact craters on his first shift during the lunar flyby observation period. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
Reichert said the selection process was shaped by strict limitations inside the Orion capsule, where only about 15 to 20 pounds of camera equipment can be carried, along with tight storage constraints.
Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover, on the left, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch, on the right, gather images and observations of the lunar surface to share with the world during the lunar flyby on the sixth day of the mission. The crew spent approximately seven hours taking turns at the windows of the Orion spacecraft as they flew around the far side of the Moon. At closest approach, they came within 4,067 miles of the Moon’s surface. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
“We tried to pick equipment that could do the most with what we had,” he said.
That meant choosing versatile gear capable of handling multiple scenarios, from wide interior shots of the crew inside the capsule to zoomed-in images of the moon. Reichert said the spacecraft flies about 5,000 miles from the moon, requiring longer lenses to capture detailed images.
The result is a blend of old and new technology. Some cameras are used straight out of the box, while others required software and hardware modifications to function in space, particularly to withstand radiation.
A stunning snapshot in time. The Artemis II crew captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way’s elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Spanning more than 100,000 light-years, Earth is located along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about halfway from the center. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
Even smartphones are part of the toolkit. Each astronaut carries an iPhone, allowing for quick photos and video inside the tight cabin, where larger cameras can be difficult to maneuver.
“All of these cameras are tools,” Reichert said. “Across all of them, they’ve created some really great imagery.”
Reichert said he was impressed while reviewing the images as they were transmitted back to Earth.
Midway through their lunar observation period, the Artemis II crew members, seen here (From left to right: Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch), pause to turn the camera around for a selfie inside the Orion spacecraft. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.)
“There were several times I looked at a photo and said, ‘Are you kidding me? Wow,’” he said.
He said the images also reflect the training astronauts receive before flight, including learning how to capture photos in space.
“You take these astronauts … and you kind of mold them into understanding how you get these photos,” Reichert said. “And to really see them nail it … made me feel great.”
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.
Gage Goulding is an award-winning TV news reporter and anchor. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he comes to Texas from Fort Myers, FL, where he covered some of the areas most important stories, including Hurricane Ian.