The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 PM EDT on April 10, 2026, bringing to a triumphant close the first crewed mission to fly around the Moon in more than 50 years. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were all confirmed to be in excellent health following what Wiseman described as a bullseye landing.
The nearly 10-day mission represented a monumental achievement for NASA and the broader Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. During the flight, the Orion spacecraft carried its four crew members within 4,067 miles of the lunar surface, completing a free-return trajectory that swung them around the far side of the Moon and back toward Earth.
One of the most remarkable accomplishments of the mission was breaking the Apollo 13 record for the greatest distance traveled from Earth by a crewed spacecraft. The Artemis II crew ventured more than 252,000 miles from our planet, setting a new benchmark in human spaceflight history. This achievement underscored both the capability of the Orion vehicle and the ambition of the Artemis program to push the boundaries of crewed exploration.
The astronauts also made several unexpected scientific observations during their lunar flyby. They reported witnessing more than four micrometeorite impact flashes on the surface of the Moon, providing valuable data for researchers studying the frequency of small-body collisions. Additionally, the crew described seeing striking green hues around the Aristarchus crater, one of the brightest and most geologically intriguing features on the lunar surface.
Following splashdown, the four astronauts were hoisted from their capsule into helicopters and transported to the USS John P. Murtha, which was stationed approximately 2,000 yards from the landing site. Recovery teams had trained extensively for this operation, and the process proceeded without any complications. Meanwhile, crew members aboard the International Space Station attempted to observe the Orion capsule during its fiery re-entry through the atmosphere from the station cupola.
The successful completion of Artemis II paves the way for Artemis III, which will attempt to land astronauts on the lunar surface near the south pole. That mission will rely on the SpaceX Starship Human Landing System to ferry crew members between lunar orbit and the surface. The data gathered during Artemis II regarding crew performance, life-support systems, and navigation will be instrumental in planning and executing that historic landing.
With all four astronauts safely back on Earth, the Artemis program has demonstrated that a new era of deep-space exploration is well underway. The courage and professionalism shown by Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen have inspired millions around the world and reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in advancing humanity beyond low Earth orbit and toward the Moon and beyond.
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