The NASA marked a major achievement late Friday as four astronauts safely splashed down off the California coast, concluding the first crewed lunar flyby in more than five decades.
The successful mission represents a significant step forward in the agency’s plans to send humans deeper into space.
The spacecraft carrying the crew completed its journey as scheduled, bringing an end to a landmark test flight around the Moon.
It was the first time astronauts had undertaken such a mission since the era of the Apollo program, underscoring the importance of the milestone.
Mission commander Reid Wiseman confirmed that all four crew members – himself, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen – were “stable” and “green.”
“They’re in great condition, that’s what that means,” said Rob Navias, who narrated the return during a live broadcast.
Following a tense but brief communication blackout during re-entry, Wiseman’s voice reassured mission control that the crew was safely on course.
“We have you loud and clear,” he said following a voice check from mission control in Houston.
Recovery teams from NASA and the US military assisted the astronauts out of the capsule after it landed in the Pacific Ocean, drawing applause from observers at mission control. The crew is expected to be transported to a recovery vessel stationed near San Diego.
During re-entry, the spacecraft endured extreme conditions, reaching speeds exceeding 30 times the speed of sound and temperatures approaching half that of the Sun’s surface. The phase served as a crucial test for the Orion capsule’s heat shield, which had encountered issues during an earlier uncrewed mission.
The re-entry phase of the Artemis II mission was completed successfully, without complications.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman described the mission as “a perfect mission.”
“We’re back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon,” he said, and “this is just the beginning.”
“We are going to get back into doing this with frequency, sending missions to the Moon until we land on it in 2028 and start building our base.”
The mission lasted nine days, one hour, 31 minutes and 35 seconds from launch to splashdown, though NASA has rounded it up to a 10-day journey.
Liftoff took place in Florida on April 1, marking the beginning of a mission filled with historic firsts and notable achievements. It was the first crewed flight under the Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon and eventually build a lunar base.
US President Donald Trump congratulated the astronauts, calling the mission “spectacular” and expressing pride in their accomplishment, while also pointing to future ambitions.
“I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!” he wrote on social media.
The mission also served as a critical test of the Orion capsule’s ability to safely transport humans. It set a new record, with the crew traveling 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth—the farthest distance humans have ever journeyed.
Throughout the mission, the astronauts captured thousands of images of deep space and the Moon, while also observing a solar eclipse and meteorite impacts on the lunar surface, providing valuable data for scientists.
Several milestones added to the mission’s historic significance: Glover became the first person of color to orbit the Moon, Koch the first woman, and Hansen the first non-American to take part in such a mission.
NASA had taken additional precautions ahead of re-entry, adjusting the spacecraft’s trajectory to reduce risks linked to heat shield performance issues observed during the 2022 uncrewed test flight.
Despite lingering concerns—some drawing comparisons to past tragedies such as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster—the mission concluded without incident.
The Orion capsule will now undergo detailed analysis to evaluate its performance during the journey.
For NASA, the astronauts, and their families, the successful return marks a moment of relief and celebration. Loved ones watched the final descent from mission control in Houston, where reunions with the crew are expected in the coming days.
