NASA has released a historic image of Earth dipping below the lunar horizon, more than 57 years after the iconic “Earthrise” photograph taken during Apollo 8.
The new image was captured by astronauts aboard Artemis II during their record-setting lunar flyby, marking a major milestone in modern space exploration.
The original “Earthrise” photograph was taken in December 1968 by astronaut Bill Anders, during the first mission to carry humans around the Moon.
The latest development comes amid renewed political pressure from Donald Trump, who has urged NASA to land astronauts on the Moon before the end of his second term in 2029.
However, the release also coincides with proposed cuts from the White House, including a 23 per cent reduction in NASA’s overall budget and significant reductions to its science programmes.
Earlier reports indicated that the Artemis II crew—Jeremy Hansen, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover—reached a key stage of their mission as they travelled around the far side of the Moon.
Despite a challenging year for science funding in the United States, the mission represents the first time in over 50 years that astronauts have journeyed around the Moon, travelling farther into space than any humans before.