Artemis II's Orion Capsule Returns to Kennedy Space Center After Successful Lunar Mission

NASA's Orion spacecraft, named "Integrity," has returned to Kennedy Space Center in Florida after completing the Artemis II mission—a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. This mission marked the first time humans have traveled to the Moon since NASA's final Apollo mission in 1972.

The Artemis II crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, launched on April 1, 2026, aboard the Orion capsule. After orbiting the Moon, they re-entered Earth's atmosphere, experiencing temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10.

Following splashdown, the Orion capsule was transported back to Kennedy Space Center's Multi-Payload Processing Facility for post-mission analysis and de-servicing operations. The spacecraft's heat shield, which protected the crew during re-entry, showed minimal char loss and intact ceramic tiles, indicating its effective performance under extreme conditions.

The successful completion of Artemis II paves the way for future missions under NASA's Artemis program, aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and prepare for future exploration of Mars.