The Moon and Earth seen from the Orion spacecraft in 2022, as Earth dips below the lunar horizon./Courtesy of NASA

NASA on the 24th (local time) released a photo of the Artemis I Orion spacecraft capturing the Moon and Earth at the same time as the Astronomy Picture of the Day. The photo was taken on Nov. 21, 2022. Just as the Sun disappears beyond the horizon at evening, Earth, home to 8 billion people, is just slipping beyond the lower limb of the Moon. It is the earthset moment.

The United States resumed crewed lunar exploration for the first time in half a century with the Artemis program, after it was halted following Apollo 17 in 1972. In 2022, the Artemis I mission proceeded as an uncrewed test flight, with the Orion spacecraft carrying a sensor-equipped mannequin into lunar orbit. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carrying Orion lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:47 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 16 that year.

◇Resuming crewed lunar exploration for the first time in 54 years

Orion took this photo on the sixth day of the mission. After completing its 25-day mission, it returned to Earth on Dec. 11 that year. During the mission, Orion fired its own engine to perform a close pass to within 130 km of the lunar surface. The velocity gained from this maneuver was used for Orion to enter a distant retrograde orbit (DRO).

The distant retrograde orbit is called "distant" because it is 92,000 km farther from the Moon, and it is classified as "retrograde" because its orbital direction is opposite that of the Moon. While the Moon orbits Earth counterclockwise, Orion circled the Moon in the opposite, clockwise direction. The distant retrograde orbit leverages the balance point of Earth's and the Moon's gravity, enabling long-term stable stays with minimal fuel consumption.

While orbiting the Moon, Orion tested its thermal protection and life-support systems. On Nov. 28, 2022, it reached the farthest point from Earth (about 400,000 km). This surpassed the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970, marking the farthest distance traveled by a spacecraft designed for crewed space exploration.

Artemis II astronauts pose in front of the Orion simulator at NASA Johnson Space Center on the 23rd. From left: NASA Commander Reid Wiseman; Mission Specialist Christina Koch; Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA); and NASA Pilot Victor Glover. They are slated to head to the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft as early as February 6./Courtesy of NASA

Soon, astronauts are expected to send back photos from Orion capturing Earth disappearing beyond the Moon. On the 17th, NASA moved the Orion and SLS launch vehicle for the Artemis II mission to the Kennedy Space Center. Artemis II will carry four astronauts to orbit the Moon and return, and could launch as early as Feb. 6.

This 10-day flight will be the first crewed lunar exploration mission in 54 years since Apollo 17. Information collected during lunar orbit will help prepare for the Artemis III crewed lunar landing mission in 2027.

◇China also targets the Moon, Europe, Japan, and India head for deep space

The scientific community is watching each country's space exploration this year. In December last year, the international journal Nature predicted that 2026 will be a year of intensifying competition among spacefaring nations. The most attention-grabbing race is the U.S.-China competition over lunar exploration.

If the United States sends the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit next month, China will send its next unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e 7, to the lunar surface around August. Chang'e 7 has been developed as a hopping lander with shock-absorbing capabilities to touch down at the Moon's south pole, where rocks and craters are scattered. Chang'e 7 will explore the abundant ice at the lunar south pole and study moonquakes.

On January 18, 2026, the Space Launch System (SLS) stands at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, topped with the Orion spacecraft that will carry the crew for the Artemis II mission. Banners bearing signatures of NASA employees and contractors hang on the perimeter fence around the pad./Courtesy of NASA

Europe, Japan, and India will explore deep space beyond the Moon. Japan will launch MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) to explore Phobos and Deimos, Mars' two moons. The spacecraft will collect soil samples from the surface of Phobos and return to Earth in 2031.

The European Space Agency (ESA) will launch PLATO, a planetary exploration mission, at the end of this year. With 26 onboard cameras, PLATO will observe more than 200,000 bright stars to find Earth-like planets in temperature ranges where water could exist.

Aditya-L1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s first solar probe, will closely observe the solar maximum. The Sun has recently entered its solar maximum for the first time in 11 years. During solar maximum, high-energy particles can be emitted that may affect satellites, communications, and power grids, necessitating continuous observation.

Since 2024, Aditya-L1 has been stationed in an orbit around the first Lagrange point (L1), about 1.5 million km from Earth, where it can continuously observe the Sun. A Lagrange point is a region where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth cancel, allowing a stable position. Close attention is being paid to how the exploration race among spacefaring nations will unfold.

An illustration of the European Space Agency (ESA) Plato mission. Launched in late 2026, Plato observes more than 200,000 bright stars to find Earth-like planets with temperatures where water can exist./Courtesy of ESA

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