“[My] launchpad is my country, Italy…The European Space Agency is like a launch tower… the rocket, literally and figuratively, is NASA.”
@ESA astronaut and Artemis III pilot @Astro_Luca shares words of gratitude.
Our astronaut Luca Parmitano is assigned as pilot of NASA’s #ArtemisIII mission.
With Europe powering Orion with the European Service Module, this mission will test the critical operations preparing for humankind's return to the Moon.
A strong step forward for ESA–NASA partnership.
🔗https://t.co/MJpn0ftcpr
📸 NASA
We see you, @NASAEarth
Here's a view of the extraordinary Blue Planet and its moon, taken by the HiRISE instrument aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Happy Earth Day!
Sky full of stars.
Following a successful lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts captured this breathtaking photo of our galaxy, the Milky Way, on April 7, 2026.
The eclipse from Orion.
On April 6, external cameras attached to the Orion spacecraft's solar array wings captured the Moon backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse.
Earthset.
The Artemis II crew captured this view of an Earthset on April 6, 2026, as they flew around the Moon. The image is reminiscent of the iconic Earthrise image taken by astronaut Bill Anders 58 years earlier as the Apollo 8 crew flew around the Moon.
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.
We're going around the Moon. Come watch with us. Artemis II's four-astronaut crew is lifting off from @NASAKennedy on an approximately 10-day mission that will bring us closer to living on the Moon and Mars. The launch window opens at 6:24pm ET (2224 UTC). https://t.co/X27QJejNDt
Today's the day.
Fueling of the Artemis II Moon rocket is underway.
Full coverage of the crewed lunar mission begins at 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 UTC). Check out ways to watch: https://t.co/fAg0bGAqEc