Apr 09, 2026
3 min read
Artemis II misinformation: AI-generated images and videos out of context on social media to create the illusion that the mission is not real.
Artificial intelligence and misinformation about the Artemis II mission: This is real, not entertainment
NASA's Artemis II mission, which sent four astronauts on the Orion spacecraft orbiting the far side of the moon, resulted in AI-generated or processed images and decontextualized videos of the space journey circulating on social media.At VerificaRTVE, we collect and debunk some of the reports that cast doubt on the mission that took humans further from Earth than ever before.
A video edited with AI from real NASA footage
The video, published on X on April 6 and shared over 2,000 times, has gone viral with over a million views.In the print, the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission are seen waving to the camera while shouts and applause are heard.The camera then pans right and shows one of the ship's windows through which Earth can be seen.In the print we read: "Did the camera make that movement, which, due to the weight of the body, approaches the earth?"The record is edited by artificial intelligence.
At VerificaRTVE, we analyzed the video using the AI-generated content detection tool of the IVERES project and concluded that it is AI with a probability of 82.53%.The Locus model of the same app detects that the sound is created by AI with 100% confidence in the prediction.In addition, disinformation expert Tal Haggin explains in his X profile that he found anomalies that indicate that NASA artificial intelligence was used to modify these images based on actual images released by the company.
After browsing through NASA's official gallery and its social network, we found a video posted on April 4th where we identified the same events as the circulating disc Although the joy and applause can be heard in the actual video released by NASA.
A message from the Orion International Space Station: AI video
However, the message
It is a record with images created using AI and does not match the video signals of the International Space Station.After analyzing several components, we found that at least two of them were created using artificial intelligence with a probability greater than 99% according to the Hive detection tool.In addition, according to the application locus model of the Iveres project, audio is also developed with this technology.You can see it in the image below.
Not even images were recorded from the International Space Station.The ISS transmits three video signals, none of which match the one they share over the network: two from cameras installed outside the station by NASA (1 and 2) and a third signal (transmitting in 4K quality) installed by the British company Chen.Comparing the images, the composition of the space station does not match the position or sharpness.The same thing happens with the quality of the image of the earth.does not matchWith the watermark on the network's output, we see the origin of the video on a TikTok account with more than 2 million followers, which shares everything from real NASA images to video games and recordings like our analysis.
This video of a floating animal inside the Orion ship is being manipulated
A 20-second video has circulated on social media showing a recording screen where the four astronauts of the Artemis II mission broadcast a speech.In front of them we see a floating stuffed animal in which some characters appear and disappear and they spread it as "proof" that space travel is not real." A message from X on April 5 in English says that the recording has been shared with more than 1.6 million views. This is false.
This is a doctored video and the original recording does not show the writing on the stuffed animal seen in the online image.A reverse search revealed a live broadcast of a communication with Earth by the crew of the Orion spacecraft on April 3rd.The same fragment can be seen at 4 minutes 29 seconds into the video released by CNN, confirming that the doll has no inscription.As the New York Times explained, the stuffed animals that traveled aboard NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon were designed by 8-year-old Lucas Yeh and their purpose is to be a "zero-gravity indicator" to let us know when the astronauts have entered the zero-gravity phase of their flight.
These photos of astronauts on movie sets are fake
A photo of four astronauts huddled together in what appears to be a photo studio with green and orange keys.In a press release accompanying the April 5 photo, they say "the final joint announcement with the crew clearly shows that everything is a green film."Wrong.
This image has been digitally edited.We analyzed the photo with the HIVE tool and concluded that it is more than 77% likely to have been created by AI.The snapshot also has many graphical errors.The three astronauts are depicted with harnesses, but the woman is suspended in the air without a harness.Also, an arm appears out of nowhere between two astronauts on the left, and one of them only has one arm.This photo is a manipulation based on real images released by NASA.April.You can check it from the 17th minute of this video posted on YouTube on the 3rd
Este vídeo que simula la nave Orion está creado con IA
They also broadcast online a 22-second recording showing the astronaut Orion and the surface of the moon with green chroma keys in the recording studio.The publication attached to the video says in English that the mission is "fake" and that NASA is using "AI and green screen".This message has been shared more than 2,000 times since April 8.It is not true.
The video is generated by artificial intelligence.But VerificaRTVE analyzed it through detection tools AI HIVE and Google SynthID and we concluded that it is artificial with 99.9% probability.Furthermore, we detect features of content created with this technique, such as the faces and limbs of astronauts moving when they lose definition.In addition, at 0:08 it does not appear anywhere from the left side of the Orion ship.
According to the results of the Artemis II mission, conspiracy information was published on the network, which cast doubt on the first landing on the moon.At VerificaRTVE, we combine and break down some of them in this article.
Patricia Donohoe es alumna del Máster de Formación Permanente de Reporterismo Internacional de la Universidad de Alcalá y el Instituto RTVE. Esta noticia ha sido supervisada por Blanca Bayo, responsable de VerificaRTVE.
