Artemis II Astronauts Reunite with Families After Historic Lunar Mission

NASA's Artemis II crew returned to Earth after a 10-day mission that marked the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The mission concluded with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

Upon arrival at Ellington Field at Johnson Space Center in Houston, the crew reunited with their families. Pilot Victor Glover expressed his gratitude, stating, "When this started, I wanted to thank God in public, and I want to thank God again." He added, "Because even bigger than my challenge trying to describe what we went through, the gratitude of seeing what we saw, doing what we did, and being with who I was with — it's too big to just be in one body."

Glover also addressed his family and those present, saying, "I love you. But not just those five beautiful cocoa-skinned ladies right there. All of you."

The Artemis II mission, launched on April 1, 2026, was a significant step in NASA's Artemis program, aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The crew, consisting of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, traveled farther from Earth than any previous human mission, reaching a distance of 252,757 miles.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman described the mission as "the greatest adventure in human history."

The successful completion of Artemis II paves the way for future missions, including Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface, further advancing NASA's goal of a sustainable lunar presence.