Artemis II Crew Drops Earth’s ‘Blue Marble’ Pic Of Our Generation As Orion Heads To Moon

NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Ried Wiseman took the following image of Earth after Orion completed its translunar injection burn on April 02, 2026. The picture from the Orion spacecraft’s window captures the planet blue in its incredible glory. It is beyond insane. Another image shows Earth sneaking through the capsule window as the astronauts head to their destination – moon! Commenting on the jaw-drop new ‘Blue Marble’ image NASA quipped

We see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere. That’s us, together, watching as our astronauts make their journey to the Moon.

While the Orion Integrity crew consisting of NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are whirling away from Earth, we are here at war with each other, trying to scavenge the deprived and the destitute.

The first Blue Marble image was first clicked by astronaut Harrison Schmitt aboard the Apollo 17 spacecraft as the crew traveled to the moon in 1972. NASA labeled the original image as AS17-148-22727. You can read an account of the Apollo 17 mission here.

Good morning, world! 🌎

We have spectacular new high-resolution images of our home planet, all of us looking back through the Orion capsule window at our Artemis II astronauts as they continue their journey to the Moon. pic.twitter.com/QjxGfWiRcS
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026

We see our home planet as a whole, lit up in spectacular blues and browns. A green aurora even lights up the atmosphere. That’s us, together, watching as our astronauts make their journey to the Moon. pic.twitter.com/6JkKufBgtJ
— NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2026

A “Blue Marble” photo for a new generation. 😍 https://t.co/RVMxCMUw8u
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) April 3, 2026

You can download a Hi-Res version of NASA’s latest Earth image from here.

The Artemis II mission was launched on April 01. 2026 as SLS lifted off the Orion spacecraft into space for a 10-day mission to the lunar orbit and back. This test mission will pave the way for the Artemis III crewed mission, which will see humans land on the moon for the first time since 1972. The current mission is historic in its own right with the first woman astronaut (Christina Koch) and first astronaut of color (Victor Glover) in the crew.

Orion will reach over the Moon’s polar region for a swift flyby on April 06, 2026. The crew will collect images and keep check of all critical systems onboard before heading back to Earth.