Astronauts aboard Nasa's Artemis II mission captured striking views of the Moon as the Orion spacecraft flew around its far side on April 6, offering a rare glimpse of the rugged, cratered terrain that remains hidden from Earth.

The snap was taken aboard the Orion capsule by its commander, Reid Wiseman, as the crew head towards the Moon.

Watch NASA astronauts circle the Moon live at 1 PM ET. Stream the Artemis II flyby, see rare lunar views, and witness a major step in future space missions.

A team at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory worked tirelessly to develop and build an optical communications system called the "Orion Artemis Two Optical Communications System."