Four astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II mission returned to Earth Friday evening after nearly 10 days in space, splashing down in the Pacific off San Diego. NASA video showed the Orion capsule striking the atmosphere at better than 24,000 miles per hour, then slowing under three billowed red-and-white parachutes before hitting the sea.
The spacecraft began atmospheric entry near Hawaii from roughly 400,000 feet, producing a bright fireball as superheated gases enveloped the capsule and exterior temperatures climbed to about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. During the roughly six-minute reentry blackout, crews lost communications as expected. Contact resumed after descent, and commander Reid Wiseman radioed, “Integrity, we hear you loud and clear.”
U.S. Navy recovery ships, including the USS John P. Murtha, stood by to retrieve the crew — the first joint Defense Department and NASA recovery operation since Apollo 17 in 1972. Sailors removed the astronauts from the capsule, ran routine medical checks, and prepared them for transport back to Houston to reunite with family and take part in mission debriefings. Mission managers said the Orion experienced plumbing issues during flight; the crew is expected to have more normal facilities after landing.
Artemis II was a crewed test flight meant to validate the spacecraft and systems needed to return humans to the moon. The mission conducted extensive observations and photography; the crew flew closer to the lunar surface than anyone has in more than half a century and documented areas of the moon that had not previously been seen by human eyes. NASA engineers and scientists will debrief the astronauts and examine thousands of images and hours of recordings gathered during the flight.
The mission underscored international cooperation and diversity: the European Space Agency supplied the service module, including solar arrays and propulsion, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen was part of the crew, with Canada’s flag displayed alongside the U.S. flag on the spacecraft. The flight also featured Christina Koch, described in coverage as the first woman to travel to the moon, and Victor Glover, noted as the first person of color on the trip.
Looking ahead, NASA plans another test next year to exercise lunar lander technologies in Earth orbit. Agency leaders have suggested a crewed moon landing could occur as soon as 2028, though those timelines remain optimistic and subject to change. For now, Artemis II achieved its primary goal: proving the spacecraft and team can carry astronauts around the moon and bring them home safely.