NASA’s Artemis II mission ended on Friday, April 10, with the Orion spacecraft’s atmospheric re-entry and parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, completing humanity’s first crewed voyage around the moon in more than half a century. After 10 days in deep space that included some fabulous imagery of an Earthset, Earthrise and a total solar eclipse, four astronauts returned safely to Earth — a critical milestone in NASA’s plan to land humans on the lunar surface in 2028.
NASA's Artemis II splashdown on schedule at 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) on Friday, April 10.
NASA
Orion reentered Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 25,000 mph, enduring searing temperatures approaching 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a 6-minute re-entry blackout period, the Orion spacecraft “Integrity” appeared beneath its parachutes and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego at 8:07 p.m. EDT (5:07 p.m. PDT) on Friday, April 10.
The crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — were met by a U.S. Navy team and will be flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha. The crew is expected to then be flown to NASA’s Mission Control in Houston, Texas.
Shortly before its re-entry, Integrity separated from the European Space Agency-built life-support system, the European Service Module.
Artemis II was the first crewed mission to travel beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission will be followed in 2027 by Artemis III — a test flight to see if Orion can successfully join with lunar landers from Blue Origin and/or SpaceX — and in 2028-2029 by Artemis IV, which is scheduled to put two astronauts on the lunar surface.
A U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 is seen as NASA, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force teams onboard USS John P. Murtha prepare for the the return of the Artemis II crewmembers to Earth, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
(NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Launched on April 1 from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, Artemis II sent four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day lunar flyby. It was the first time astronauts from any nation had traveled beyond low-Earth orbit since NASA’s final Apollo mission, Apollo 17, in 1972.
During the mission, Glover became the first Black astronaut to travel beyond low Earth orbit and to the moon. Hansen became the first Canadian to do so, and Koch the first woman.
On Monday, April 6, the crew became the most distant humans ever at 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth, setting a new record for human spaceflight.
On April 6, 2026, as the Artemis II crew came close to passing behind the Moon and experiencing a planned loss of signal, they captured this image of a crescent Earth setting on the Moon’s limb.
NASA
“As the first astronauts to fly this rocket and spacecraft, the crew accepted significant risk in service of the knowledge gained and the future we are determined to build. NASA also acknowledges the contributions of the entire NASA workforce, along with our international partners, whose expertise and commitment were essential to this mission’s success,” said said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “With Artemis II complete, focus now turns confidently toward assembling Artemis III and preparing to return to the lunar surface, build the base, and never give up the Moon again.”
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