Artemis II Crew Completes Historic Lunar Flyby with Pacific Splashdown

NASA's Artemis II mission concluded successfully on April 10, 2026, as the Orion spacecraft, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. This 10-day mission marked the first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo era, with the crew traveling approximately 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing the distance achieved by Apollo 13.

The mission featured several historic milestones: Christina Koch became the first woman, Victor Glover the first Black astronaut, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen to journey to the Moon. During their voyage, the crew captured remarkable images, including a stunning 'Earthset' photograph reminiscent of the iconic 'Earthrise' taken during Apollo 8.

Upon re-entry, the Orion capsule reached speeds up to 24,661 mph, approaching the record set by Apollo 10 in 1969. The spacecraft's heat shield withstood temperatures nearing 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit during atmospheric re-entry. The splashdown occurred at 5:07 p.m. PDT, with recovery operations conducted by a U.S. Navy team aboard the USS John P. Murtha.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the mission's success, stating, "This is not just an accomplishment for NASA. This is an accomplishment for humanity, again, a historic mission to the moon and back." The Artemis II mission serves as a critical step toward NASA's goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade.