The Artemis II astronauts have kicked off their lunar flyby, taking in breathtaking views of the far side of the moon and setting a new distance record for humanity.
The six-hour flyby is a highlight of NASA's first return to the moon since the Apollo era, with three Americans and one Canadian on board.
Less than an hour before the fly-around, the astronauts surpassed the distance record of 248,655 miles set by Apollo 13 in April 1970.
During the flyby, the astronauts captured stunning views of the moon and Earth in the same shot, and provided a running commentary to scientists back in Houston on what they were seeing.
The mission is a crucial step towards landing boot prints near the moon's south pole in just two years.
Artemis II is using the same free-return lunar trajectory as Apollo 13, which will put the astronauts on course for home once they emerge from behind the moon.
