Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman used an iPhone to film Earth setting behind the Moon during a lunar fly-by on April 6, 2026 [1].
The footage marks a significant milestone in human space exploration, documenting the first time a U.S. spacecraft has flown around the Moon and returned in nearly 54 years [3]. It also captures the crew reaching a record distance from Earth, surpassing all previous human voyages [2].
Wiseman recorded the video from lunar orbit while on the far side of the Moon [4]. The recording includes the audible sound of a camera shutter from mission specialist Christina Koch, who was also documenting the event [1]. The footage shows the Earth gradually vanishing behind the lunar horizon, a perspective available only to those traveling beyond the Moon's near side.
This mission represents the first crewed lunar effort since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 [3]. Unlike the Apollo missions, which focused on landing, the Artemis II fly-by served as a critical test of systems and crew endurance for future lunar landings. The use of a consumer smartphone to capture these images highlights the shift toward more accessible documentation of deep-space missions.
NASA officials said the goal of the recording was to document the historic fly-by and share the unique view of the Earth-set with the general public [5]. The video provides a rare visual record of the transition from the Moon's illuminated side to the far side, where the Earth is no longer visible.
“Artemis II crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans before.”
The capture of high-resolution video using consumer electronics during the Artemis II mission signals a transition in how space agencies engage the public. By moving beyond specialized cinema cameras to smartphones, NASA is bridging the gap between elite astronaut experiences and everyday technology, while simultaneously validating the durability of commercial hardware in deep-space environments.
