In a major milestone for space exploration, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts safely returned to Earth on early Saturday morning (IST), 11th April, after completing a historic 10-day journey around the Moon. The spacecraft carrying the four-member crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, marking a successful end to a mission that is seen as a crucial step toward future human landings on the Moon.
The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean aboard the Orion spacecraft, after a 10-day flight around the moon and back https://t.co/X1sJoGsVSX pic.twitter.com/wnOu1zop7a
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 11, 2026
The commander of the spaceship, Reid Wiseman, together with the other astronauts Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, managed to reconnect with NASA once they had returned to Earth’s atmosphere. Recovery teams quickly moved in to retrieve them, after which they were taken for medical checks before being transported to a US military ship.
NASA officials confirmed that all four astronauts are in stable condition. Commander Wiseman described the crew as “green,” a term used to indicate they are in good health. NASA public affairs official Rob Navias also reassured viewers during a livestream that the astronauts were doing well.
The return journey was one of the most challenging phases of the mission. As the spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere, it travelled at speeds more than 30 times the speed of sound and faced intense heat, reaching nearly half the temperature of the Sun’s surface. This served as a critical test for the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which had faced concerns during earlier trials. The re-entry, however, went smoothly without any issues.
The mission, which launched from Florida on April 1, was the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis programme aimed at establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon, including building a future base. It also acted as a key test to prove the reliability of the Orion spacecraft for carrying astronauts.
During the journey, the crew set a new record by travelling about 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth, the farthest distance humans have ever reached. They captured thousands of pictures, witnessed a solar eclipse, and even witnessed a meteorite hitting the surface of the Moon.
The mission also marked several historic firsts: Victor Glover became the first person of colour to travel around the Moon, Christina Koch the first woman, making Artemis II a landmark step toward future lunar missions.
