The Artemis II mission has passed the halfway point of its journey, with the four astronauts aboard hailing “the most moment” in a new interview.
Nasa’s online dashboard showed the Orion spacecraft is now more than 136,080 miles from Earth.
The US space agency took to social media to say “we’re halfway there” on Friday.
Nasa also released the first images sent from the spacecraft, which marks the first astronaut moon shot in more than 50 years.
The first photo, taken by Commander Reid Wiseman, showed a curved view of the Earth from one of the windows aboard the craft.
Another showed a full image of the Earth with swirls of clouds covering our oceans.
Nasa also stated that a green aurora can be seen glowing in the image.
Commander Wiseman and the three others aboard the historic spacecraft are set to reach the Moon on Monday.
The first photos the craft have been released following the halfway point of the mission
|GETTY
Speaking on the newly released images, Nasa’s Lakiesha Hawkins, said: “It’s great to think that with the exception of our four friends, all of us are represented in this image.”
The crew will fly past the Moon on their journey before U-turning and heading back to Earth without stopping, providing them with unprecedented views of the far side of the Moon.
The three Americans and one Canadian aboard the spacecraft fired Orion’s main engine on Thursday night to set them on course.
Mission control was required to shift the craft's position, leading to Earth filling the windows for all four astronauts to see.
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After a course correction, a full view of Earth came into view for the astronauts
|GETTY
“It was the most spectacular moment, and it paused all four of us in our tracks,” Commander Wiseman said in an interview.
Astronaut Christina Koch added: “There’s nothing that prepares you for the breathtaking aspect of seeing your home planet both lit up bright as day, and also the moon glow on it at night with the beautiful beam of the sunset.”
The four astronauts are the first to go to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Orion is set to travel 4,000 miles beyond the Moon before heading back to Earth.
If the Artemis mission goes to plan, they will set the record for venturing further from the Moon than any human has before, at 250,000 miles.
This mission is just the beginning of a larger programme for Nasa, which aims to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the long-term goal to establish a base on the Moon for wider exploration.
The Artemis programme has come under pressure from Donald Trump, who is hoping the US will be able to walk on the Moon before the end of his second term in January 2029.
That deadline is ahead of the schedule set by the Chinese, who are aiming to land humans on the moon by 2030.