NASA reports that the Artemis II crewmembers have now safely splashed down on Earth. Returning after a historic 10-day mission around the moon, the team returned around 5:07 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on April 11.

The first moon mission of its kind in over 50 years, this is an enormously important moment for manned space mission history. The last mission like this was Apollo 13 way back in 1970.

The crew splashed down safely in the Pacific off the coast of San Diego, completing their over half a million-mile round trip (694,481 miles/1,117,659 km total).

Onboard were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. All crew are safe and sound.

“Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, welcome home, and congratulations on a truly historic achievement. NASA is grateful to President Donald Trump and partners in Congress for providing the mandate and resources that made this mission and the future of Artemis possible,” explained NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a press release.

Artemis II returns safely

Following splashdown, the crew was recovered by a joint NASA and US military team. Following recovery from the spacecraft, the crew was transported to USS John P. Murtha by helicopter for initial medical check-ups.

“Artemis II demonstrated extraordinary skill, courage, and dedication as the crew pushed Orion, SLS (Space Launch System), and human exploration farther than ever before,” Isaacman added.

“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,” they said.

In case you are unaware, the Artemis II mission launched on NASA’s SLS rocket at 6:35 p.m. on April 1, from Launch Pad 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 8.8 million pounds of thrust were unleashed to get the launch vehicle and crewed spacecraft (Orion) safely into space.

The mission’s objective was not to land on the moon but rather to complete a fly past and return (called a Lunar flyby). The closest the Orion craft came to the moon was around 4,067 miles (6,545 km).

At the mission’s peak, the crew was traveling a mind-blowing 25,000 mph (40,223 kph). During the flyby, the crew reportedly collected over 7,000 photos, saw an Earthrise, and were even able to observe meteorite impacts on the moon.

All crew back safe and sound

They were also lucky enough to see a solar eclipse from space and made observations for potential future landing zones near the moon’s south pole. For the crew, this final stage (re-entry) was the most dangerous part, with outside temperatures exceeding 5,000 °F (2,760°C) and plasma forming around it in the Earth’s atmosphere.

To slow the craft down, the craft deployed a set of three enormous parachutes to let the craft gently land on water. Once down, the craft’s buoyancy is enough to allow it ot float until rescue teams arrive.

“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. 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,” Isaacman explained.

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