BACK! Artemis II lands in Pacific after trip around the moon
Artemis II, the 10-day space mission that sent a crew of three Americans and one Canadian around the back side of the moon, has splashed down in the Pacific.
Commander Reid Weisman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen traveled an historic 252,000 miles from Earth.
After slamming into Earth’s atmosphere at 25,000 mph and being slowed for splashdown by multiple parachutes, the crew was being fetched by the Navy, after which a return to the mainland was set.
The mission left from the Kennedy Space Center April 1 and went further from the Earth than any previous mission.
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, said, just ahead of the splashdown, “I have no doubt that you’re all going to execute this flawlessly as we get these astronauts who will just complete an absolute historic mission, traveling further into space than any humans have gone before.”
NASA’s Artemis II Crew Comes Home https://t.co/ZOLmyaqTY9
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 10, 2026
LIVE: They are coming home.
Watch as the Artemis II crew returns to Earth, splashing down at around 8:07pm ET (0007 UTC April 11). https://t.co/n3vZE2rcFv
— NASA (@NASA) April 10, 2026
WATCH LIVE: Artemis II crew to splash down in the Pacific Ocean after historic lunar flyby https://t.co/m52gnRQfew
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 10, 2026
He said once Artemis III launches in 2028 for the first moon landing in decades, NASA plans to stay and build a moon base.
A report from the Washington Examiner said the return was at 8:07 p.m. ET off the coast of San Diego.
After being assessed by Navy experts, the astronauts are to return to Houston.