U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (April 11, 2026) praised the Artemis astronauts just after they splashed down in the Pacific and capped their journey around the Moon, as he looked ahead to the eventual goal of sending missions to Mars.

In Pictures | Artemis II’s voyage to the moon and back

“Congratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II. The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social.

“I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!” he added.

The NASA spacecraft carrying four astronauts splashed down as planned Friday (April 10, 2026) off the California coast, capping the U.S. space agency’s successful crewed test mission around the Moon, the first such flyby in more than 50 years.

Mission commander Reid Wiseman reported that the crewmembers — himself along with Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen — were “stable” and “green.”

NASA personnel and the U.S. military helped extract the astronauts from the bobbing capsule — to the applause of those watching from mission control. They will then be flown to a recovery ship off the Pacific coast near San Diego.