The Artemis II crew has safely returned to Earth after completing their historic mission to the Moon.
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II, a NASA mission that orbited the Moon, splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after an error-free return journey.
The crew is now safely aboard a recovery vessel and resting after their nine-day mission, which took them farther from Earth than any humans have ever traveled.
Their Orion spacecraft was traveling at speeds of more than 24,000 miles per hour (38,600 km/h) and, upon re-entering Earth’s upper atmosphere, its heat shield endured temperatures nearly half as hot as the surface of the Sun.
Their safe return paves the way for the next phase of the Artemis program, which aims to land humans on the Moon and eventually establish a permanent presence there.
The intense heat caused the crew capsule—nicknamed Integrity by the astronauts—to lose communication with mission control in Houston for six minutes during descent.
However, cheers erupted when Commander Reid Wiseman was heard saying, “Houston, this is Integrity. We hear you loud and clear.”
There were tense moments during the descent, but shortly afterward, the red-and-white parachutes deployed, slowing the capsule’s descent.
“Main parachutes are good!” NASA commentators repeatedly confirmed until the capsule successfully splashed down in the ocean.
Astronauts Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen were carefully extracted from the capsule and flown by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha, where they will undergo medical evaluations.
NASA said they will be flown back to Houston to reunite with their families on Saturday.
While waiting on the ship’s deck, they were seen smiling, chatting, and taking photos.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed them home, calling the mission “truly exciting” and renewing his invitation for them to visit the White House.
However, NASA has not yet confirmed when the astronauts will make their first public appearance.
The final descent phase of Artemis II began at 19:33 EDT (23:33 GMT), when the service module built by the European Space Agency—the section containing engines and solar panels that powered Orion during its journey—was jettisoned.
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