Four astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10, 2026 [1], [2].
The mission marks the first time humans have voyaged toward the moon in over half a century. This successful return validates the Orion spacecraft's capabilities and serves as a critical prerequisite for future missions intended to land humans on the lunar surface.
The crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen [2] — returned to Earth aboard the gumdrop-shaped Orion spacecraft [3]. The spacecraft hit the water at approximately 7:07 p.m. CDT [1], which corresponded to 0007 UTC on April 11 [1].
The crew completed a 10-day journey [4] that took them on a lunar flyby. This mission was designed to test the systems necessary for deep-space exploration and to ensure the safety of the crew during high-speed re-entry into the atmosphere.
According to Reuters, the astronauts hurtled back toward Earth on Friday after completing the world's first crewed moon voyage in over 50 years [3]. The landing took place in the Pacific Ocean, where recovery teams were stationed to retrieve the capsule and its four occupants [2], [4].
NASA officials and international partners monitored the descent as the Orion capsule deployed its parachutes to slow its velocity before impact. The successful splashdown concludes the primary flight phase of Artemis II [4].
"NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen have come home," CNN said [2].
“The Artemis II crew will finish their 10‑day journey to the moon with a splashdown off the coast of San Diego.”
The successful completion of the Artemis II mission demonstrates that NASA and its international partners can safely transport a crew to deep space and return them to Earth. By proving the viability of the Orion spacecraft and the mission's flight profile, this flyby removes a major technical hurdle for the subsequent Artemis III mission, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.
