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Full View of Moon's Orientale Basin: Far Side | NASA Artemis II Mission
In this fully illuminated view of the Moon, the near side (the hemisphere we see from Earth), is visible on the right. It is identifiable by the dark splotches that cover its surface. These are ancient lava flows from a time early in the Moon’s history when it was volcanically active. The large crater west of the lava flows is Orientale basin, a nearly 600-mile-wide crater that straddles the Moon’s near and far sides. Orientale's left half is not visible from Earth, but in this image we have a full view of the crater. Everything to the left of the crater is the far side, the hemisphere we do not get to see from Earth because the Moon rotates on its axis at the same rate that it orbits round us.
The Orientale Basin, located on the far side of the Moon, is a massive, multi-ringed impact structure formed about 3.8 billion years ago during the Late Heavy Bombardment. It is the youngest and best-preserved of the Moon's large impact basins, measuring roughly 950 kilometers (about 590 miles) across. The basin's three concentric rings, formed by a massive asteroid impact, provide critical data on how massive impacts shaped the early solar system. The Orientale Basin is also significant for its gravity anomalies.
Watch live coverage of the Artemis II lunar flyby on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max and Roku beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, alongside NASA’s 24/7 coverage on its YouTube channel. https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/
Oblique view of the interior of the Orientale basin. Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images M1124173129L & R, image centered at 24.23°S, 264.30°E, scene width is approximately 16 km and the cliff at center is 1.7 km high
A reduced-resolution version, wider picture of the oblique view of Orientale's interior.
Wide Angle Camera (WAC) context view of a portion of southwestern Orientale basin showing the approximate location (white box) of Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images
With an estimated age of around 3.8 billion years, and a diameter of over 900 km, the Orientale basin is the youngest of the large lunar impact basins. Its interior is relatively well preserved and its floor has not been completely buried under mare basalts, making it one of the most studied basins on the lunar surface in the hopes of unraveling the mechanics of multi-ring basin formation and the relationships of volcanic infilling to large basins. This image shows highlights of the more interesting and complex features inside the southwestern portion of the basin, where primary features related to the basin itself meet the later-forming mare basalts in the basin floor.
The striking linear features seen in the top image are portions of a series of cracks that are near-radial to the basin and are unlike typical lunar graben. This portion of the interior is thought to have a high proportion of material that was melted by the extreme shock pressures of the impact event that crated the Orientale basin, and the cracks may have formed as the hot material, draped over underlying topography, cooled and shrank. It is hard to picture the effects of an impact so large it would have obliterated the state of Texas, but here you can almost see the molten and shifting terrain settling and cracking.
You can also get a sense of how basaltic lavas, the lower-reflectance deposits seen at bottom right, poured in later, flooding low areas, lapping up against the higher-standing terrain, and leaving kipukas of original basin material exposed in places. These lavas are estimated to have erupted on the order of 100 million years after the formation of the Orientale basin, but were not as voluminous as the basalts that bury all but the rims of other lunar multi-ring basins, such as Serenitatis and Imbrium. The WAC image mosaic of the region helps put these features into context. You can see the Orientale mare deposits lie largely within the innermost ring of the basin, the Inner Rook mountains.
Why did these basalts fill regions largely contained within only the innermost ring of Orientale, whereas other basins were totally flooded? Orientale may have formed in a region of thicker crust, making it harder for basalts to erupt from the mantle to the surface anywhere but the center of the basin, where the crust was thinned the most. The composition of Orientale's basalts is also known to be distinct from the major nearside maria with its lower concentration of radioactive heat-producing elements (known as KREEP), so there may have been less heat available to melt the mantle to produce basalts.
This interplay of spectacular, complex features related to basin formation and later volcanic eruptions means Orientale is a high-priority target for exploration. Samples would pin down the exact age of the basin, important for answering questions about chronology across the Solar System, as well as answer a host of other questions about basin formation and evolution.
This year, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) celebrates its 17th anniversary orbiting the Moon (2009-2026). This mission has given scientists the largest volume of data ever collected by a planetary science mission at NASA. Considering that success and the continuing functionality of the spacecraft and its instruments, NASA awarded the mission an extended mission phase to continue operations. LRO continues to be one of NASA's most valuable tools for advancing lunar science.
Liftoff: United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket | Amazon LEO 5 Satellite Mission
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launched another batch of operational broadband satellites for the Amazon low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, bringing the total number of satellites launched by ULA to 139. The payload consisted of 29 satellites—the most satellites and the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V rocket.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 5 mission for Amazon lifted off on April 4, 2026, at 1:46 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral. "This mission demonstrates the strong partnership between ULA and Amazon to accurately and rapidly launch and deliver innovative solutions for global connectivity."
The Amazon Leo 5 launch deployed another batch of operational satellites into low Earth orbit. There are three remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket, as well as 38 launches on the next-generation Vulcan rocket.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V Amazon Leo 6 mission. This launch is planned for April 27, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida pending range approval.
ULA is launching the majority of Amazon’s initial satellite constellation of over 3,000 satellites.
NASA Artemis II Flight Day 5 Highlights | Johnson Space Center
Mission control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the Artemis II crew completed an outbound correction burn to refine the Orion spacecraft’s trajectory to the Moon. The burn began at 11:03 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and lasted 17.5 seconds. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, continue on a precise path to flyby the Moon on Monday, April 6, 2026.
Early in their workday, the crew completed a key test objective of the mission: the Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) suit.
All four crew members conducted a full sequence of tests, including putting on and pressurizing the suit, performing leak checks, simulating seat entry, and assessing mobility and their ability to eat and drink. The suit protects astronauts during dynamic phases of flight and provides life support in the event of cabin depressurization and survival operations after splashdown.
Wrapping up the day, the crew will enter the Moon’s sphere of influence at 12:41 a.m. Monday, April 6, when the Moon’s gravity becomes the dominant force controlling Orion’s trajectory.
This milestone sets the stage for the main event of flight day 6: the crew’s flight around the far side of the Moon.
Watch live coverage of the Artemis II lunar flyby on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max and Roku beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, alongside NASA’s 24/7 coverage on its YouTube channel. https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/
Key lunar flyby times, milestones (all times Eastern subject to change based on real-time operations):
1 p.m.: NASA+ coverage of lunar flyby begins.
1:56 p.m.: The crew will surpass the record for humans’ farthest distance from Earth, previously set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
2:10 p.m.: Crew remarks on breaking Apollo 13 distance record (audio only)
2:15 p.m.: Crew configures Orion’s cabin for flyby operations
2:45 p.m.: Lunar observation begins
6:44 p.m.: Predicted loss of communications as crew heads behind the Moon (approximately 40 minutes)
7:02 p.m. Orion closest approach to the Moon (4,070 miles)
7:07 p.m.: Orion reaches maximum distance from Earth (252,757 miles)
7:25 p.m.: “Earthrise” marks Earth coming back into view on the opposite edge of the moon; Predicted acquisition of communications as crew reemerges from behind the Moon
8:35-9:32 p.m.: During a solar eclipse, the Sun will pass behind the Moon from the crew’s perspective
Preparing for Moon Flyby | NASA Artemis II Mission
Before going to sleep on flight day 5, the Artemis II crew snapped one more photo of the Moon, as it drew close in the window of the Orion spacecraft. Orion and the four humans aboard entered the lunar sphere of influence at 12:37 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 6, at the tail end of the fifth day of their mission. That marked the point where the Moon's gravity had a stronger pull on the spacecraft than the Earth's. Artemis II's closet approach to the Moon will come on flight day 6, as they swing around the far side before beginning their journey back to Earth.
About an hour after entering the lunar sphere of influence, Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Koch said, "We are now falling to the Moon rather than rising away from Earth. It is an amazing milestone!"
Watch live coverage of the Artemis II lunar flyby on NASA+, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max and Roku beginning at 1 p.m. EDT Monday, April 6, 2026, alongside the agency’s 24/7 coverage on its YouTube channel. https://www.nasa.gov/ways-to-watch/
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard launched, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
A Quick Tour of The Moon | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (2009-2026)
Although the Moon has remained largely unchanged during human history, our understanding of it and how it has evolved over time has changed dramatically. Thanks to extensive data collection, we have unprecedented views of its surface, along with insights into how it and other rocky planets in our solar system came to look the way they do. See examples of the sights and learn more about the Moon here! These visualizations were created from data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.
LRO has made a 3-D map of the Moon's surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage (excluding polar areas in deep shadow), including 0.5-meter resolution images of Apollo landing sites.
LRO has been studying the Moon from up close since 2009, making it the longest-lived lunar orbiting mission ever. The orbiter has mapped the Moon’s surface and measured its temperature, composition, and radiation environment in unprecedented detail. Data from LRO enables NASA, and our international and commercial partners, to select locations on the lunar surface where spacecraft and astronauts can safely land. The orbiter is also helping NASA identify areas near the Moon’s South Pole with crucial resources like water and extended sunlight that provides power for equipment and supports exploration activities.
Shadows Near The Moon's South Pole | NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
This video shows the movement of shadows near the Moon's South Pole over the course of two lunar days. This is equivalent to about two months on Earth. The visualization was created from data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.
LRO has made a 3-D map of the Moon's surface at 100-meter resolution and 98.2% coverage (excluding polar areas in deep shadow), including 0.5-meter resolution images of Apollo landing sites.
LRO has been studying the Moon from up close since 2009, making it the longest-lived lunar orbiting mission ever. The orbiter has mapped the Moon’s surface and measured its temperature, composition, and radiation environment in unprecedented detail. Data from LRO enables NASA, and our international and commercial partners, to select locations on the lunar surface where spacecraft and astronauts can safely land. The orbiter is also helping NASA identify areas near the Moon’s South Pole with crucial resources like water and extended sunlight that provides power for equipment and supports exploration activities.
Video Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Visualizations by: Ernie Wright (USRA) Produced, Edited, and Narrated by: David Ladd (USRA) Lead Scientist: Noah Petro (NASA/GSFC) Technical Support: Laurence Schuler (ADNET), Ian Jones (ADNET) Duration: 1 minute, 23 seconds Release Date: April 1, 2021
Mission Control's Orion Evaluation Room | NASA Artemis II Moon Mission
Lorelei Lohrli‑Kirk works on the imagery console inside Mission Control’s Orion Evaluation Room, helping bring the imagery captured by the Artemis II crew and Orion spacecraft back home to us.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard launched, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
Orion Spacecraft View of Earth Pre-flyby | NASA Artemis II Mission
This view of the Earth was captured on April 5, the fourth day of the Artemis II mission, from inside the Orion spacecraft. The four astronauts will reach their closest approach of the Moon tomorrow, April 6, 2026.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard, launched on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now well over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket: Upper Stage Separation
The white shell of the upper stage of the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket breaks away from the Orion spacecraft, revealing Orion's thrusters that can be seen firing bursts of white mist.
NASA’s SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard launched on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Climb to Orbit: Orion Spaceraft Camera View
[No audio] A view from cameras on board the Orion spacecraft as it climbs to orbit, powered by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket following a 6:35 p.m. EDT liftoff on April 1, 2026. Included is the jettison of the solid rocket boosters that propelled Orion for the first two minutes of flight, and the jettison of the spacecraft adapter jettison panels, which protect the spacecraft's solar array wings during ascent.
NASA’s SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard launched on the Artemis II mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket Launch: Amazon LEO 5 Satellite Mission
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launched another batch of operational broadband satellites for the Amazon low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, bringing the total number of satellites launched by ULA to 139. The payload consisted of 29 satellites—the most satellites and the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V rocket.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 5 mission for Amazon lifted off on April 4, 2026, at 1:46 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral. "This mission demonstrates the strong partnership between ULA and Amazon to accurately and rapidly launch and deliver innovative solutions for global connectivity."
The Amazon Leo 5 launch deployed another batch of operational satellites into low Earth orbit. There are three remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket, as well as 38 launches on the next-generation Vulcan rocket.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V Amazon Leo 6 mission. This launch is planned for April 27, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida pending range approval.
ULA is launching the majority of Amazon’s initial satellite constellation of over 3,000 satellites.
United Launch Alliance Atlas V Rocket Launch: Amazon LEO 5 Satellite Mission
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V launched another batch of operational broadband satellites for the Amazon low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, bringing the total number of satellites launched by ULA to 139. The payload consisted of 29 satellites—the most satellites and the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V rocket.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the Leo 5 mission for Amazon lifted off on April 4, 2026, at 1:46 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral. "This mission demonstrates the strong partnership between ULA and Amazon to accurately and rapidly launch and deliver innovative solutions for global connectivity."
The Amazon Leo 5 launch deployed another batch of operational satellites into low Earth orbit. There are three remaining Amazon Leo missions on the Atlas V rocket, as well as 38 launches on the next-generation Vulcan rocket.
ULA’s next launch is the Atlas V Amazon Leo 6 mission. This launch is planned for April 27, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida pending range approval.
ULA is launching the majority of Amazon’s initial satellite constellation of over 3,000 satellites.
Europe-China SMILE Solar Science Mission: A global answer to a global mystery
The European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are joining hands to uncover how Earth defends itself against dangerous particles and radiation from the Sun.
It is the first time we will have images and videos of what happens when the solar wind crashes into Earth's magnetic field. SMILE will witness this interaction in action using four onboard instruments.
Life can only exist, as we know it, when nestled safe inside this giant magnetic bubble surrounding our planet. By imaging the bubble as a whole for the first time, SMILE will help us build up our fundamental understandingof space weather forecasting.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is responsible for providing SMILE’s payload module (carrying three of the four science instruments), one of the spacecraft’s four science instruments (the soft X-ray imager, SXI), the launcher, and the Assembly Integration and Testing facilities and services. ESA contributes to a second science instrument (the ultraviolet imager, UVI) and the mission operations once SMILE is in orbit.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences provides the other three science instruments and the spacecraft platform, and is responsible for operating the spacecraft in orbit.
SMILE is part of ESA's Cosmic Vision program, principally contributing to answering the question ‘How does the Solar System work?’
NASA Artemis II Moon Mission Launch: New Views | Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist onboard launches on the Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is taking Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back aboard their Orion spacecraft. They are now over three-quarters of the way to the Moon.
NASA Artemis II Flight Day 4 Highlights | Johnson Space Center
NASA’s Artemis II crew in Orion completed a manual piloting demonstration and reviewed their lunar flyby plan to wrap up their third full day in space.
NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen took turns controlling the spacecraft to test its performance in deep space starting at 9:09 p.m. EDT. For 41 minutes, the pair tested two different thruster modes, six degrees of freedom and three degrees of freedom, to provide engineers with more data about the spacecraft’s piloting capabilities. Commander Reid Wiseman and Pilot Victor Glover are scheduled to repeat the demo on flight day 8– Wednesday, April 9–to give the teams on the ground as many perspectives on the spacecraft as possible.
Lunar imaging targets received by crew Over the course of the day, the crew also reviewed a list sent by the lunar science team of surface features on the Moon that they will photograph and analyze during their six-hour flyby on Monday, April 6. The flyby period begins at 2:45 p.m. April 6, when Orion’s main cabin windows will be pointed toward the Moon.
Earlier in the day, the Moon-bound quartet also took crew selfies using one of Orion’s solar array wing cameras. The images should be sent to the ground in the coming days.
The Artemis II crew is scheduled to go to sleep for the night at 3:15 a.m.; Mission Control will wake them to begin flight day 5 at noon on Sunday, April 5.
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