NASA’s Artemis II crew has safely returned to Earth after completing a landmark mission around the Moon, marking the agency’s first crewed lunar flyby since the Apollo era.
The four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean aboard the Orion spacecraft after spending about 10 days in space.
Their return journey saw the spacecraft re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speed, producing intense heat and a short communication blackout. Once through the atmosphere, Orion deployed its parachutes and slowed down for a controlled landing in the ocean off the California coast.
Recovery teams reached the capsule soon after splashdown and safely helped the astronauts out. Officials confirmed that all crew members were in good health following the mission.
During the flight, the crew travelled around the Moon on a wide loop trajectory, becoming the first humans in more than 50 years to go that far from Earth. The mission also tested how Orion performs in deep space conditions, including life support systems and navigation.
NASA says Artemis II is a crucial step in its long-term plan to return humans to the Moon and eventually prepare for missions to Mars. The data collected from this flight will be used to improve systems for future lunar landings.
The successful splashdown marks an important milestone for NASA’s Artemis programme, showing that crewed deep-space travel beyond Earth orbit is once again achievable.
